The Shottery Link - Stratford Girls School

The Shottery Link
The Termly Newsletter For The Alumnae Society
Autumn 2014
A
nother year has flown by – where did those months go? Welcome to the second issue of The
Shottery Link, which is packed full of information, news, interviews, quotes and more. We hope you
enjoy it and of course welcome your feedback and ideas. Wishing you and yours a very happy
Christmas and a fantastic 2015. Don’t forget to keep in touch and let us know how you’re getting on!
Di Brownhill
Chair of Alumnae Society
Warm greetings to each and everyone who has ever been at SGGS! The Committee were very
heartened by the enthusiastic responses to the summer newsletter and we hope you will enjoy this one.
We had a lot of updated contacts, but it would be lovely to be able to reach ALL alumnae by the various
media means or by personal encouragement to your friends to contact us. This way, we will be able to
include everyone in sending invitations to social reunions in the spring for year groups with significant
birthdays, for annual reunions for ALL in the summer and for school events e.g. concerts, Christmas
Fairs – and in the late summer of 2015, the excitement of welcoming the formal opening of the
redeveloped Community block, with its central core of the school Hall you are all familiar with,
surrounded by 21st century new facilities including an extended dining room and kitchen, sports hall (see
article). Shottery alumnae have so many talents and have gone on to enjoy happy personal lives and
successful careers. Aspirations of current students would benefit and be influenced by you, who
unknowingly have been excellent ambassadors of the school. Do get in touch if you would like to
support the school in any way.
I would like to wish you a very happy and enjoyable Christmas and New Year – and would like you to
feel very welcome to come to any of the many events planned for 2015.
Kate Barnett
Head of School
Greetings from Shottery! – and actually from a place that you wouldn’t currently recognise, as we’ve lost
access to a large segment of the site – from the turning circle to the gate to Shottery Fields. This is, of
course, because it’s a building site. With the exception of the Hall, the whole of the old community
building has now gone – and the walls of the Hall are now surrounded by a muddy battlefield of
groundworks. The steel frame of the new buildings should be erected soon, however – certainly before
Christmas – and things will definitely get exciting then!
So it’s been a little odd this term without that building: no whole school assemblies (apart from the
alfresco one we held on the centre lawn in September), no kitchen and dining room and no indoor PE.
Food is served from a temporary “cabin” by the Manor, and we are relying on year group and house
assemblies to keep our great sense of community going. And we’re really looking forward to the new
building being available to use from the summer! I hope that many of you will be able to join us to
celebrate its opening – and maybe even sponsor a chair or two for the new assembly hall!
Social Media & Contact
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Contact:
Shottery Alumnae Society
@SGGSAlumnae
@SGGSAlumnae
[email protected]
News From Alumnae
[email protected]
1950s
Kathy Parr Hamilton (nee Parr): 1958-1959 – Kathy was the first American student at Shottery.
Her father was invited to lecture at the Shakespeare Institute by the founder, Allardyce Nicoll in 1958/9.
During that year, Kathy joined Shottery as a student in the Lower Sixth Form, which was in its first year
where it is now located. Miss Williams was the Headmistress and her teachers included Miss Tudor, Miss
Southall and Miss Dunham. Kathy remembers that it was difficult to leave her home for her last year of
high school, but says it was even more difficult to leave Stratford and the friends she made during her
time here. Upon returning to America, Kathy attended the University of Alabama, graduated and taught
school (mainly primary grades). She completed graduate school with a Master’s Degree in Early
Childhood Education. She then taught reading to middle school students for nine years and was a
facilitator for a literacy programme for mothers who dropped out of school and needed to get a High
School Diploma. As part of that programme, they had a childcare facility for children between two
months and four years. Kathy retired in 2008 and is now a very active member of her community and
her church. She married twice. Her first husband passed away many years ago, and they had one son.
Kathy was divorced from her second husband in 2004.
She left Alabama and has lived in Georgia, Ohio, Virginia and is now settled in South Carolina, where
she’s been since 1979. Every summer, she reunites with nine of her college sorority sisters (Delta
Gamma) for a week on the Gulf Coast. During the rest of the year, she volunteers for a group which
drives people to doctors, dentists, banks, grocery stores etc. She has served on the local library Friends
Board for many years and is also a member of Foster Care Review Board. That position is appointed by
the Governor’s office and Kathy will be the Chairman from January 2015.
In what’s left of her spare time, Kathy is also a chalice bearer, lay reader, lector and lay Eucharistic
minister for her church. She is President of the Daughters Of The King and their prayer shawl ministry
and the clerk for the vestry of another newly formed church and will serve on the Diocesan Council for
the coming two and a half years.
In her words, ‘My life has been interesting to say the least. I was most fortunate to have a year in
England and treasured my time there, and the experience of being in the Grammar School’.
News From Alumnae
[email protected]
1960s
Elizabeth Emery (nee Barrett): 1965 - 1967 – Liz left Stratford in January 1969 to go to Western
Australia, where she got married and had two children (now 44 and 45 years old). She worked most of
the time in finance, and in 1998 started an accounting business in partnership with her second husband.
In 2010 they moved to Tasmania (Australia’s most
southern state) for the cooler climate and a change
of lifestyle in retirement. Liz still does accounting
for small local businesses and a handful of old clients
in Western Australia. She lives with her husband on
nine and a half acres in Franklin, a rural community
about 40 minutes drive from the capital, Hobart.
Their property overlooks the Huon River and they
have a magnificent panoramic view from all the
rooms in their home.
They have 2 Highland cattle, 5 Toggenburg goats,
3 Wiltshire horn sheep, 3 Suffolk hens and a fluffy dog!
They grow cherries, apples, pears, raspberries,
strawberries, blueberries, potatoes, tomatoes
and other vegetables, so there is never a dull moment!
News From Alumnae
[email protected]
1970s
Sally Wells: 1972 - 1979 – Sally says, ‘School days seemed so long ago until I came full circle and
started working with schools again…the scare of the exam room and waiting outside the Head’s office are
now part of my working life in a way I never expected!’
Sally left school in1979 after a pretty good sporting time and not quite so good an academic time (in her
own words!) and went on to study Business Studies at Lanchester Poly, now Coventry University. Finding
it difficult to get a job in the UK upon leaving, Sally ended up working in Germany (not speaking a word of
German, nor having worked in an office before!) in a logistics company. After three months of intensive
learning, she relocated to London and worked her way up to the role Branch Manager (the first female one
in the company’s history). She was hoping to achieve Regional Manager, but hit a glass ceiling and left,
after being headhunted by a publishing company, where she became the publisher of one of their travel
information guides, working across the globe whilst living in Scotland and head-quartered in England.
Sally was headhunted again into the recruitment industry, where she remained for the next 14 years.
There were some amazing peaks and troughs – dot com booms and busts, and Lehmann Brother disasters!
She finally rose to Managing Director and share-holder of a £30m company which operated in 18 countries.
After selling her share to a major group she then set up her own business using psychometric profiling to
help young people understand themselves better and to help them move on to a better future. Sally
merged her business with Thomas International in 2012 to form Thomas Education. She is the founder,
shareholder and Managing Director and is absolutely passionate about what she does.
Outside of work, Sally loves to travel, play sport and is still very much in touch with some of her old school
friends. She has settled down with her partner Neil and now lives in Kent with him and his two teenage
daughters who are great. ‘My lessons learned include working hard can be great fun if you love what you
do.’
News From Alumnae
[email protected]
1980s
Emma Sandiford (nee Rice): 1981-1987 – Emma is currently
a teacher at Dormer House School in Moreton-in-Marsh. During
her time at Shottery, Emma was the Games Captain of Eliot House
(still very proud of that fact!) and is still playing a lot of tennis
today. She is very much in touch with her four best friends from
Shottery: Helen Sanderson, Jo Hunt, Lesley Harrison and Patricia
Sandiford, and the five of them meet up at least twice a year.
Emma married Patricia’s brother and they have a 13 year old son
and an 11 year old daughter who both attend secondary schools in
South Warwickshire. Having spent ten years in Bristol, Emma and
her family are loving being back in the countryside, enjoying long
country walks and the fresh air!
1990s
Nikki Wallace (nee Hiorns): 1990-1997 – After leaving Shottery, Nikki went
to Southampton University and studied Oceanography at the National
Oceanographic Centre campus. At university, she met her husband Karl and
learned how to scuba dive. After graduating with a First, Nikki travelled the
world for twelve months, with a focus on great dive sites in Thailand, Barrier
Reef, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Fiji and Tonga.
Upon returning to the UK, Nikki worked as a post graduate student in
Satelites/Remote Sensing and Ocean Colour at the National Oceanographic
Centre, with instruments on the yachts of the Volvo Ocean Yacht Race.
Later, Nikki moved on to work as a Conservation Officer at English Nature (now
Natural England). She has been there for over ten years and is now the
National Senior Specialist for port industry development and estuaries.
Nikki and Karl have three children, Ned (8), Libby (6) and Freda (3). They live
in the New Forest National Park.
News From Alumnae
[email protected]
From left to right: Rebecca, Alexandra and Emma
00s
Emma Malczewski: 2000-2007 – After leaving Shottery, Emma studied for a Law degree at the
University of Sheffield and subsequently achieved a distinction on the Legal Practice Course at the
College of Law in Birmingham. She began her two year legal training contract in September 2012 with
SGH Martineau LLP in Birmingham and in September 2014, she qualified as a Solicitor, specialising in
Employment Law at the same firm. Emma lives in Stratford-upon-Avon with her fiancé, Ben, and their
Springer Spaniel, Lily. She is still in touch with lots of friends and teachers at Shottery.
Emma’s youngest sister Rebecca has just started a History degree at Durham University and her other
sister Alexandra is a Learning and Development Co-ordinator in the London office of a global PR firm.
They all have very fond memories of their time at Shottery and those people who made it so special.
Sister Act
SGGS alumnae Francesca and younger sister Fleur Moore-Bridger are becoming more and more visible
within both the regional and national music concert programmes. Coming from a hugely supportive
family with a long term interest in both classical and choral music, the girls grew up being significantly
influenced by their absorption of the wonderfully varied sounds. Diana Brownhill met the sisters again
after a recent concert at the end of last month and invited them to be interviewed for The Shottery
Link. Both girls kindly agreed.
Francesca came to SGGS when she was thirteen years
old, and left after her GCSEs in 2000, to study her A
Levels at King Edwards VI School in Edgbaston, before
going on to read BA Hons Music at Newnham College,
Cambridge, where she held an Instrumental Award
Scholarship. From there, Francesca won a scholarship to
the Royal Academy of Music to study for her Postgraduate
Diploma and LRAM Teaching Diploma. She was the
Principle Horn player in the Academy Orchestra and she
was also awarded the prestigious Dennis Brain Memorial
Horn prize. Graduating with distinction, Francesca went
on to spend two seasons as the Principal Horn of the
Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago in Chile before
returning to London to continue her freelance career.
She has worked with many of the top London orchestras
including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London
Sinfonietta and the London Chamber Orchestra. She
regularly works as a film session musician with the
London Metropolitan Orchestra and with theatre
companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Francesca is an established soloist and performed Britten’s Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal at the
memorial service for the late John Amis. She gives regular recitals around the UK both as a solist and
chamber musician with her ensemble, The Pirani Trio, and last year played Mozart’s Fourth Horn
Concerto in Guildford Cathedral with the Guildford Symphony Orchestra. Earlier this year she performed
the world premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’’s The Generation of Love with the Orchestra Of The Swan and
is delighted to renew her connection with her home town of Stratford-Upon-Avon to take up the position
of Principal Horn.
How young were you when you started music lessons and were you always aware of the
love of music in your home?
I started the Piano at aged 4 and the horn aged 8. When I was 3 I had a go on a hunting horn and
then the French Horn and I always wanted to play it, but I had to wait until I had my big front teeth
and so took up the Piano while I was waiting! Music was a huge part of our life at home - there was
always music on the radio, and I remember going to my first prom when i was about 6. We were in a
box, I had a new dress, and I sat in amazement watching and listening to the orchestra play! We
always went to concerts, ballets, and musicals - we were definitely immersed in music growing up.
Cont/d
Sister Act – cont/d
How important has your family and your school life played a part in shaping your own love
of music?
My family gave me the opportunity to try so many things growing up, and introduced me to the world of
music. As my horn playing began to develop they gave me all the help and support I could wish for, and
they still do! Even now they attend as many concerts I play in as possible and I owe all my success to
them.
How young were you when the allure of playing a brass instrument grabbed you?
I knew I wanted to be a horn player from the age of three! (see above…)
Did you also have tuition at the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire for specialist training and
musical education?
I attended the Birmingham Conservatoire Junior School for a couple of years and then went onto the
Royal College of Music Junior Department in London every Saturday from year 9 to upper sixth. My
teachers there really gave me the tuition and expertise I needed to progress and develop as a player. I
did my post-graduate degree at the Royal Academy of Music.
Have you ever learnt a second instrument and if so, to what level? I have a feeling you also
played a cello or some other stringed instrument, as you would have needed a second
instrument to a high level for studying Music at Degree Level and especially at Cambridge.
That was Fleur! She was Grade 8 Violin and was in the National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great
Britain for a few years. There are no specifics for instrumental performance at Cambridge, you just had
to be competent at the Piano
How do you think your time in Cambridge and at Postgraduate level at the RAM influenced
or led to aspirations about your future direction as a professional musician?
When I was at Cambridge I was unsure what I wanted to do after my degree and did some work
experience and internships in business and law, but when I made the decision to go to RAM I did it with
the full intention of trying becoming a Professional Horn player afterwards!
Did you ever consider doing a degree in another subject first, or were you always keen to
study Music with a view to becoming a professional musician?
I did Maths and Science at A level (as well as Music) and considered studying Natural Sciences at
university, but when I started to do my applications I realised it was crazy to study anything other than
music as even by then it had already become my whole life!
Did you study Modern Foreign Languages at A Level, or as an extra course at Cambridge,
which then helped you when you were out in Chile?
I did French and Spanish GCSE and was fairly appalling at both. I hadn't done any languages since then
before taking up a job in a Spanish speaking country! I quickly started lessons out there and am now
happy to say I am confidently conversational in Spanish.
How have your experiences in Cambridge and London broadened your experience and
confidence in repertoire and musical connections generally?
In Cambridge I learnt an incredible amount about music, and my academic degree definitely gives me
the confidence to feel I can make informed decisions and judgments about stylistic and musical
interpretations of pieces. Both in Cambridge and at the Academy I met some incredible musicians, many
of whom are working in the industry now.
Sister Act – cont/d
Fleur was at SGGS from 2002 until 2009, before
going on to read Classics at Durham University
until 2012.
Following that, Fleur went to
Hometon College, Cambriedge to do a PGCE
teaching qualification. She was also a member
of Queens’ College. Whilst at school, Fleur’s
talent as a soprano was already apparent, and
she often sang in several choirs as well as
performing as a soloist in various choral works,
including the Faure Requiem and Vivaldi’s
Gloria, in a combined choir with the King
Edward VI School.
She also sang in the
Stratford Choral Octet which performed at
Evensong in several cathedrals across the UK.
Alongside her school education, Fleur was a student at the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire for seven
years, where she was the youngest winner of the Frank Richards Memorial Vocal Prize at just seventeen
years old. It was here that she also achieved her singing diploma, DipABRSM.
Fleur chose to study a different academic subject at Durham University, rather than going for Music.
She does not regret her choice to study Classics, explaining that Latin is the basis of many vocal scores
sung in Italian, French and Latin.
Fleur has been invited as a soloist to sing with the Stratford Choral Society in performances of Handel’s
Messiah in 2012 and the lead part in Handel’s Semele in November 2014. She is currently a Classics
teacher at Brentwood School, whilst continuing her singing studies with Jane Highfield. In 2015, Fleur
will be applying to study Postgraduate Voice at Music College, London, with a view to furthering her
musical career as a professional soprano soloist.
How young were you when you started music lessons and were you always aware of the
love of music in your home?
Music has always been a huge part of our family, as my grandfather and uncle were both musicians. We
always had the radio on at home and especially at times like Christmas we were always singing. I
started the violin age 5 and that was my main focus until I was about 14. Even though I wasn’t
studying singing, I always sang; at primary school, in drama clubs, around the house! I started singing
lessons when I attended the Birmingham Conservatoire junior school age 11 and my love of it grew
from then on!
How important has your family and your school life played a part in shaping your own love
of music?
We were incredibly lucky that our parents were so keen and supportive of us getting involved in music.
I remember my parents driving me all over the place, not to mention Birmingham every Saturday, so
that I could go to Conservatoire and various courses. Obviously school played a huge part in my music,
as I was involved in practically every ensemble at both the boys’ and girls’ school! I loved being a part
of all the orchestras and choirs, (not to mention Soul Band!) and especially the musicals which we did.
Little Women the Musical was my personal favourite!
Cont/d
Sister Act – cont/d
How young were you when the beauty and talent of your voice was recognised and how or
when did you start at the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire for specialist training and
musical education?
I remember the first time I really sang in public was on holiday in Spain, aged about 7, where mum and
dad forced me to enter a karaoke competition in front of the whole site. I was stunned by how lovely
everyone was about my voice. I joined Birmingham Conservatoire aged 11 and it was one of the best
things I have ever been part of: I went every Saturday for 7 years. Even though I went there initially for
violin, my singing teacher was excellent, and by age 17 I had my DipABRSM and had won the Frank
Richards’ Memorial prize as the youngest ever winner!
Have you ever learnt a second instrument, and if so, to what level?
I played violin in both the National Children’s’ Orchestra and the National Youth Chamber Orchestra of
Great Britain from age 10-18. They were so intense, but they were fabulous fun!
What made you decide to do a Classics Degree at University rather than Music? Did you do
any languages at A Level or and an extra course at Durham, that has helped you with your
parallel interests in Music- or have to had to work at learning enough MFL in order to
develop the accents for French, German and Italian for example?
The choice between Classics and Music was always a tough one for me, as I loved both so much.
Essentially I decided that I couldn’t do extra-curricular Latin if I chose to study Music, but I could do lots
of music even if I studied Classics. I don’t regret that decision for a moment, I loved almost every minute
of studying Classics, and I was involved heavily in the musical world of Durham. I did study A-Level
French at school, and that is useful when I am singing French songs. However, my Latin is the most
beneficial for all the languages I sing in, as Italian, German and even Spanish all have Latinate roots.
How did your experiences at Durham and Cambridge, where you did your PGCE at Homerton,
broaden your experience and confidence in repertoire and musical connections generally?
While at Durham I was involved in all sorts of music. I sang in the University Chamber Choir, I played in
both the Symphony and Chamber orchestras and I was on the executive committee of the Durham Opera
Ensemble. We were lucky to have such a talented supply of people at Durham, and we put on many
famous operas, such as The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel and Gretel and Cosi fan Tutte. Singing the lead
roles in such famous operas, in fully staged productions, did hugely fan the flame of my love for opera. I
enjoyed being a part of such a theatrical world, and engaging with the music in such a dramatic way was
great fun!
Unfortunately, whilst at Cambridge, I didn’t have a chance to be part of any music, as my placements
were in London, at Haberdashers Askes School for Girls in Elstree. Because of this, I was rarely in
Cambridge and therefore could not commit to any ensembles/ productions.
You are currently teaching Classics in Brentwood and in 2015 applying to study
Postgraduate Voice at Music College presumably on RAM? Are your aspirations ultimately to
become a Professional soloist and do you have a preferred genre of Music to sing e.g. Opera,
Choral as live performances together with recordings etc? both in the UK and abroad?
My dream is to be a professional opera singer, though the training for that will take a few years. I do
hope to study at one of the London colleges, and then go on to one of the Opera studios in London. I
plan to keep teaching while I study though, maybe tutoring, and to hopefully keep doing freelance
soloist work. I loved singing with the Stratford Choral Society, so hopefully I’ll be invited back again!
Do You Remember?
Where Are They (You) Now?!
Latin Trip – circa 1985
Are you in this image? Do you recognise
someone who is? Let us know!
Photo: Thanks to Georgina Bridgens
2 Alpha – circa 1958
Despite it being a black and white image, it still
appears to be a balmy day at the Manor! Do you
recognise anyone here?
Photo: Thanks to Sue Kennedy
Upper Sixth - 1988
Do You Remember?
Lower Sixth: 1959
Upper Sixth: 1965
Photo: Thanks to Kathy Hamilton (nee Parr)
Unknown Year…
Any ideas?
Do You Remember?
Lower Sixth: 1967
Possible tags are:
Peggy Harvey
Susan Ellis
Gill Goddard (nee Edwards)
Rosemary Scott (nee Basson)
Julie Hill (nee Hunt
Moira Smith (nee Sinton)
1966?
Summer Term Issue
– Some Identities
Revealed - Maybe?!!
Cross Country Team C1976
George Freeman, Rebecca
Richmond, Karen White, Jackie
Haines, Karen Wale, Sophie
Wellstood, Hazel Marlow, Tammy
McDonald
Then….And Now
2014 – Weekend in Salcombe
From the left…
Emma Sandiford (nee Rice)
Patricia Stokes (nee Sandiford)
Helen Dunning (nee Sanderson)
Jo Howard (nee Hunt)
Lesley McKinnon (nee Harrison)
All at Shottery between 19801987 - apart from Lesley (who
went to do nursing instead of
sixth form)
2005 – Roger Stanbridge’s Retirement Do…
Gemma Pinfield
Kathryn Drysdale
Rachel Walker
Anna Ryder
Natasha Day
Then...And Now
With many thanks to Brenda Kimmins (nee McCluskey) for the following extract from her
blog, Heaven Happens. The year is 1963…
“1963/64 was a very special year for me. I was in my final year at Stratford Girls’ Grammar School learning in the
most beautiful setting imaginable. I was studying English literature at A-level. My main text was King Lear. I’ve
mentioned before that in those days it was possible to pay 4 shillings in pre-decimal money, which is 20 pence now,
and stand at the back of the theatre to watch Shakespeare’s plays. I took full advantage of this and I was there in
1962 when Paul Schofield played King Lear in what is recognised as the greatest performance of the role of all
time. It left an indelible impression on me which stays with me even now.
Our English teacher, Miss Southall, was an inspiration too. All black hair, flowing gown and long legs, which she
bared to the sun during summer term. This meant English classes were held on the lawn in the beautiful walled
garden with its Dovecote, in front of the magnificent Shottery Manor which was the setting for the sixth form. The
school oozed history with its old oak floors, wood panelling and not so secret passages which could have been priest
holes. We were convinced that there was a tunnel leading from the Manor into town but no-one ever ventured in
far enough to find out because it was pitch dark.
According to school history, the oldest part of the Manor was 14 th century when it was owned by Evesham
Abbey. In 1402 the Bishop of Worcester granted a licence to John Harewell of Wootten Wawen for a priest to
celebrate Mass in the Oratory of the Manor. This room became our sixth form study. The house stayed in the
Harewell family for centuries but in 1919 the manor was bought by Mr A D Flower on behalf of the trustees of the
late Edgar Flower. The Flower family were very significant to Stratfor -Upon-Avon. Edward Flower started Flower’s
Brewery there in 1831 and his sons, Charles and Edgar continued the business making rather a lot of
money. Fortunately the Flowers had that wonderful Victorian ethic of using their money to benefit the community,
(I wonder what happened to that in Britain?), and they used it to develop the Shakespeare Memorial
Theatre. Charles donated the land by the River Avon and in 1875 launched a campaign to build the theatre. He also
donated the money to build the theatre (about £1 million in today’s money), which opened in 1879 with a
performance of Much Ado About Nothing. Charles also gave the cottages opposite so that the rents could be used
to maintain the theatre.
The last members of the Flower family to live in the Manor left in 1951 and it was empty for a few years. But thank
goodness Warwickshire County Council bought it and it was turned into the first girls’ grammar school in the area. It
opened in 1958 just in time for me to arrive. I was very lucky to get in at all as I had moved from the north of
England where my education record was patchy to say the least.
I can honestly say I don’t remember learning a thing at primary school except to sing, ‘Flow Gently sweet Afton’ and
to make an advent calendar out of matchboxes for Christmas. It was my inspirational, well-read and self-taught
father who taught me what I needed to know: how to read, write, do maths, to identify constellations, wonder,
dream, question, listen, love. He had an open mind and an open heart. It was he who convinced Miss Williams, the
original head teacher of Stratford Girls’ Grammar School, that I was a suitable candidate for her school. I am so glad
that he did. Because, since 1963, thanks to that education, I have been able to plough my own furrow.“
Dates For Diaries
Saturday 6 December 2014 Alumnae Community Charity Events
10am – 1pm
Open to all alumnae members and families, held in Stratford Town Hall,
there will be plenty of stalls with a range of creative, handmade items on
sale suitable for Christmas and other occasions, together with face
painting for children and a Christmas raffle. This will be a great
opportunity to browse, enjoy coffee and cake and meet up with other
alumnae and their families. The aim of this event is to raise money for
terminally ill children in Birmingham Children’s Hospital through the Molly
Olly’s Wishes Fund, founded by an alumnae member whose family lost
their 8 year old daughter to kidney cancer two years ago. Your support
for this very worthwhile cause will be much appreciated – please come!
Saturday 25 April 2015
Alumnae 50 Reunion
12pm – 5pm
Alumnae members who came in 1976 and left in 1981 as 5th formers, or
1983 as upper sixth. A committee is being formed from local members
of these years, in order to be directly involved in the planning of the
reunion event. If you would like to be a part of the planning, please get
in touch. Details about the event will follow in due course.
Saturday 16 May 2015
Alumnae 30 Reunion
12pm – 5pm
Alumnae members who left in 2003 and 2004, so two year groups.
Please do get in touch with your contact details if we don’t already have
them. More details for this event to follow.
FoS Meeting Dates
If you live locally and want to give some extra practical help with fundraising events for the school, our
Friends of the School (FoS) would be delighted to hear from you. If you want to help, please contact the
FoS Chair, Anne Morse at [email protected] and she will make sure you are included in the relevant
communications and requests for help! No doubt you'd find it great fun to get involved with the present
day school and everything that's going on!
The Circle Of Life
This section of the newsletter going forward will be for alumnae to tell us when their circumstances have
changed… so if you’re getting married, having babies, moving house etc, do let us know and we will
include it in this section of the newsletter. Just let us know what year you started at Shottery, and give
us your news! [email protected]
Business To Business
Do you have a business to promote or a service to offer? Why not let us know and we can include it in
the newsletter? Just get in touch via [email protected]
Sally Wells (SGGS: 1972-1979) is the Managing Director of Thomas Education, a company that works
with schools to help students realise their potential and give them the tools to take control of their
future.
Thomas Education are passionate about improving young people’s prospects as they move through the
education system into work and their psychometric assessments can really make a difference. Sally
says, ‘I feel passionately that we can help young people think about what career is best for them and
how you can make your working life a happy one – just by knowing yourself and understanding your
strengths a bit better.’
Larbert High School in Falkirk use Thomas assessments to empower their students in planning for their
futures. They have worked with Thomas Education using their PPA behavioural assessment tool to
provide impartial, tailored careers guidance for 800 of their students, resulting in 99.3% positive
destinations up 6% on the previous year. One student commented, ‘I feel motivated to start
researching into industries which would be the best match for me.’
For more information, please visit the Thomas Education website: www.thomaseducation.net
This space could be used to promote your business – alumna to alumnae….
If you have something you want to see here, do please get in touch…. [email protected]
Phase 2 Of The
Improvement Plan
Work is coming along on Phase 2 of the improvement plan. Below are some images taken at the end of
November 2014, showing the delivery of the steels, along with a view of the part of the hall that is to be
left as it is. Protection for the floor is down, and we are on track to see the framework for the new
structures up by the end of term. Watch this space”
Molly Olly’s Wishes
Molly Olly’s Wishes is a charity that was set up by alumna Rachel Ollerenshaw (nee Benjamin) and her
husband Tim, after losing their eight year old daughter Molly to cancer in 2011.
Molly had an amazing spirit and showed such determination throughout her treatment. The impact she
had on those around her was astonishing and it was her ability to inspire both friends and strangers to
perform acts of kindness that moved Rachel and Tim to start the charity in her memory and continue
her good work.
Molly Olly’s Wishes offers support to children throughout the UK with terminal or life threatening
illnesses. They support families who need additional help beyond that given by the NHS and its
supporting bodies, so that some of the burdens can be eased. This may be in the form of equipment,
an alternative therapy treatment to compliment traditional medicine or organising a special occasion for
a child that would otherwise be isolated from everyday events due to the restrictions of their illness.
Molly Olly’s Wishes have granted wishes for children ranging from a trolley dash around a toy store to a
visit to a theme park. They have provided video monitors for children suffering from seizures. They
have provided a children’s entertainer and refreshments on certain fundraising days at Birmingham
Children’s Hospital. The list goes on, and Rachel and her family work tirelessly to raise funds to enable
their charity to continue its fantastic work.
The 2014 Shottery Alumnae Christmas Fair is enormously proud to be supporting Molly Olly’s Wishes
this year on Saturday 6 December, at the Town Hall in Stratford-upon-Avon from 10am until 1pm. Do
please come along if you can. For more information on Molly Olly’s Wishes, to read about some of the
wishes that have been granted or if you’d simply like to make a donation, please go to:
www.mollyolly.co.uk . To contact Rachel directly, please email [email protected]
A story from Molly’s father, Tim.
“I wrote this sometime after an incident at Easter 2011, when the family was staying at Molly’s auntie’s
and uncle’s house in France. Her latest diagnosis just a few weeks before had given her only one real
option and after that additional shock, she moved unphased to make the most of her limited remaining
time on Earth. During this period she remained remarkably composed – a lesson to us all sweating
smaller stuff - apart from just occasionally as evidenced here. We all like to believe that our children
are angels inside, but those on this path do seem to display an angelic hue and wisdom rarely evident in
others so young (or old).”
The Unflinching Trajectory of Angels, by Tim Ollerenshaw
Easter egg hunt, April 2011, in the mid-south of France. Two families circulating excitedly round the
gardens of a converted farmhouse. Expectation. Busy children with baskets, noisily collecting chocolate
eggs randomly half-hidden in the trees and bushes and furniture and covered spaces.
The sun is already warm enough to soften the chocolate. Captured images of girls and boys running
through spaces, polaroided in happiness against the valley view of the vines dropping away into a
painter’s perspective. Laughing, anticipating young expectancy. Then across the scrubby grass of the
garden area by a tennis court, four children scamper off to the next collection. An egg spills out of a
girl’s basket, its coloured foil wrapping bright against the green grey straw grass. The cantering feet of
the chase avoiding it; almost. One foot randomly crunches down on it. Squished. The girl’s egg.
Unlucky foot.
Cont/d.
Molly Olly’s Wishes
She is eight. She has been smiling and happy and collecting and running and laughing and challenging.
Sharp as a razor, bright as a button. Until now. Never complains of the unfairness of it all, until this
one chance act cruelly dispels her equanimity over her fate. But now it strikes her – this once – about
the unfairness of the stride. The crushing of her egg.
She breaks away from the group that has already passed on to the next quest, turns round and heads
off to a small grassy part of the garden by three tall, thin trees standing together in a raised corner like
wise counsel. She sits down, looking away from the garden, away from the others and looks out to a
more distant view.
At this point I join her. The adults had been watching them all in this childhood quest, just touching
the edges of the chase. Now I sit down next to her and look out besides her. She cries. I cry. We do
not talk about what it means. She is upset by the injustice of the crushing, the one chink of exposure
into her acknowledgement of the unfairness of the random blow. ‘Why my egg?’ she seems to say.
‘Why no-one else’s?’
We do not openly express it, but we both in those few minutes sitting there crying together know that
this is the metaphor for her being cruelly crushed by the random extinguishing of fate. Why her prize?
Why her? Her one railing against her journey, her angelic route arching out above the pain of her
human chapter, her composed existence and calm control of her emotions with her worldly family.
But not for long. We both sit for a while, gather our wits and get up and move back into the rest of the
day, the quest now finished, other Easterly activities taking over. Back to her mission, her laughing,
uncomplaining, unflinching stoic acceptance of her route from here.
Just that one chink, at Easter time. Then back to her lovely, knowing, wise and twinkling course of just
ten more weeks walking the planet, once again beautifully composed.
School Functions Update
This event will have taken place by the time this newsletter is published. However, it was publicised on
our social media, so we hope those of you who could go had a lovely time!
During the spring term, FoS are hoping to host a Quiz Night – more details will follow.
Mid-May 2014, Shottery are hosting the Stratford Arts Weekend, based at the Town Hall. More
details will follow.
2014 Leavers’ Destinations
Olivia
Kiara
Eleanor
Adams
Ames
Bainton
Cardiff
Northampton
Loughborough
Susannah
Kym
Catherine
Jessica
Miriam
Kerry
Eleanor
Alice
Bethany
Rachel
Rebecca
Philippa
Rebecca
Olivia
Victoria
Abigail
Sarah
Gabriella
Nerissa
Sffron
Georgina
Venkata
Anne
Charlotte
Lucy
Abigail
Madeleine
Linden
Madeleine
Rachel
Neave
Georgina
Samantha
Barnes
Beacham
Bennett
Blaikie
Bleetman
Bowler
Bull
Campain
Campion
Cannon
Cannon
Carr
Casement
Chambers
Childs-Carlile
Collins
Collison
Condes
Culi
Cureton-Taylor
Dance
Datla
Devereux
Dexter-Jones
Drury
Egging
Ellis
Elmhurst
Evans
Evans
Finnan
Fisher
Furey
Bath
Gap Year
Gap Year
Durham
Cardiff
Bristol
Aberdeen
Nottingham
Ernst & Young; London
Exeter College, Oxford
Southampton
Surrey
St. Andrews
Sheffield
Bristol
Exeter
Bailliol College, Oxford
Swansea
Nottingham
Gap Year
Gap Year
Durham
Worcester College, Oxford
Liverpool
Exeter
Leeds
York
Sheffield Hallam
Bristol
Gap Year
Gap Year
Queen's College, Belfast
Heriott-Watt
Olivia
Gale
Harpreet Gill
Laura
Gladstone
Zoe
Gray
Natalie
Green
Lucy
Gregory
Beth
Hairs
Rebecca
Harris
Scarlett
Hateley
Hannah
Hawley
Eloise
Haynes
Hebe
Hetherington
Clementine Holden
Exeter
Birmingham
Swansea
Lancaster
Glasgow
Birmingham
Leeds
York
York
Oxford Brookes
Gap Year
Sheffield
University College, London
Social Policy and Criminology
Psychology
Industrial Design and Technology
International Management and Modern Languages Spanish
Geography
Social Science
English
Physiology
Environmental Biology
School Leavers Scheme; Accountancy
Law with German Law
Medicine (5 year)
Veterinary Medicine and Science
Astrophysics
Law and Criminology
Law
Theology
Law
Civil Engineering (with a Year in Industry)
Neuroscience with Pharmacology
Business and Management with Business Placement
Philosophy, Politics and Economics
English and Communication Studies
Business Economics with Industrial Experience (4 years)
French and Italian
Mathematics (4 years)
Business Studies
Veterinary Science
International Studies and Politics
Civil Engineering
Business and Management with Industrial Experience (4
years)
Economics
Medical Sciences and Humanities
Psychology
English Literature/Politics
History
Biological Sciences
Biology (4-year sandwich)
Economics
Primary Teacher Education (campus-based) 3 years
History and Politics
Architecture
2014 Leavers’ Destinations
Louise
Holford
Loughborough
Mathematics
Nicole
Florence
Lydia
Emily
Hannah
Tarragon
Bethany
Rachel
Maiti
Isabella
Katie
Faye
Miriam
Charlotte
Charlotte
Katherine
Nicole
Alyce
Laura
Rebecca
Caitlin
Hettie
Alexandra
Frances
Amy
Alice
Howlett
Hurley
Jary
Jennings
Jones
Kelham
Keyes
King
Lahiff
Lander
Latham
Lawrence
Lee
Levett
Macnamara
Mara
Mardon
Markham
Marshall
Marston
McCarthy
McCarthy
Millar
Mills-Baker
Moone
Moore
Bath
New College, Oxford
Leeds
Southampton
Manchester
Business Administration (with professional placement)
Medicine
Biochemistry
Modern Languages
Management and Leisure
Art Foundation
Management and Mathematics
Geography (Human)
History and Italian
Economics with Industrial Experience (4 years)
German and History
English Literature and Theatre Studies
History
Engineering Design with Study in Industry
Law
Japanese
Physiotherapy
Geography with European Studies
Medicine - MBChB Standard entry (5 years)
Economics
English Language and Philosophy
Mathematics
Information Systems Management and Innovation
Pharmacology
Rebecca
Martha
Mottram
O'Brien
DeMontfort
Leeds
Eleanor
Meghan
Jesal
Jane
Melissa
Katherine
Gabriella
Oliver
Owen
Panchal
Parker
Parnaby
Peacop
Peerman
Perez de Albeniz
Bryson
Pethick
Pope
Pyne
Rolls
Rose
Ryder
Scholes
Smith
Bath
Manchester
Newcastle
Gap Year
Manchester
Swansea
Exeter
Grace
Rachel
Tasneem
Holly
Megan
Helen
Bethan
Ellen
Cassia
Leeds
Cardiff
Leeds
Exeter
Reading
Leeds
Sheffield
Bristol
Sussex
Leeds
Cardiff
Swansea
Bristol
Leeds
Birmingham
Bath
Warwick
Leeds
Gap Year
Sheffield
Teeside
Birmingham City
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Royal Holloway
Leeds
Bath
Sheffield
Gap Year
Gap Year
Urban Studies and Planning
Human Communication (Speech and Language Therapy)
Biological Sciences
Mechanical Engineering with Advanced Design and
Innovation
Music
Medicine (stage 1 entry)
French and Japanese
Classical Civilisation
Economics with Industrial Experience (4 years)
Physiotherapy
Psychology
Medicine
Modern History and Politics
Economics
Biology (with professional placement)
English Language and Linguistics
2014 Leavers’ Destinations
Anna
Snodgrass
Homerton, Cambridge
Amy
Clara
Holly
Stephanie
Lorna
Chloe
Charlotte
Amy
Jessica
Abigail
Caroline
Eve
Maria
Katie
Rosie
Spackman
Theil
Thompson
Tomkinson
Topp
Trevor
Tudberry
Warren
Watson
Watt
Weiner
Whitwell
Wilkinson
Worthington
Wright
Emmanuel College,
Cambridge
Durham
Bristol
Loughborough
York
Derby
Gap Year
Loughborough
Cardiff
Accenture
Birmingham
Cardiff
Sheffield
Bristol
Gap Year
Modern and Medieval Languages
Veterinary Medicine
Modern Languages
Medicine - MBChB Standard entry (5 years)
Mechanical Engineering
Psychology in Education
Forensic Science with Psychology
Psychology
Optometry
Management Consultant
Music
Psychology with Professional Placement
Japanese Studies
Economics
Leavers 2013
Chloe
Jennifer
Bramwell
Burling
Goldsmiths London
Bournemouth
English
Marketing
Freda
Imogen
Aimee
Grace
Imaan
Rebecca
Lauren
April
Vanessa
Cronin
Cummins
Dyos
Gregory
Iqbal
Malczewski
Murphy
Wall
Wilde
King's College, London
Bournemouth
Hull
Bath Spa
Nottingham Trent
Durham
Coventry
Nottingham
Cardiff
Neuroscience
Product Design
Combined Languages
Creative Writing/English Literature
Biological Sciences
History
Adult Nursing
Veterinary Medicine
French/Spanish (4 years)
2014 Leavers’ Destinations
Year 11 Leavers
Tahrim
Lily
Mariella
Sui
Natalie
Alicia
Louise
Ciara
Chloe
Chloe
Bethanie
Georgina
Rhianna
Abbie
Kate
Sara
Danielle
Sophie
Kheerut
Harriet
TeresaAnne
Grace
Isabelle
Alexandra
Lily
Aslam
Blundell
Bucci
Bo Chan
Crook
Dinnes
Earp
Farrelly
Halliwell
Hawkins
Howard
Jones
Lindsay
Mason
Matthews
Misra
Morris
Owen
Punian
Rowe
Arden
KES
Stratford College
Kenilworth
AGS
KES
Kenilworth
KES
KES
KES
AGS
KES
KES
Stratford College
KES
India
KES
KES
Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Scott
Shallis
Taylor
Thompson
Watson
Kenilworth
Chenderit School
AGS
Birmingham Ormiston Academy
KES
Anna Gleed
A member of staff at Shottery: 18 February 1991 – 3 December 2004
On the Day Of Celebration each year, nestled amongst the many awards given to girls in recognition of
a rainbow of talents, achievements and characteristics, there is the Anna Gleed Award For
Perseverance. But who was Anna Gleed and why is there an award in her name?
Anna was a highly organised and committed member of the teaching staff and was 100% dedicated to
the school, to the teaching of Biology and to the promotion of Science within the department she
worked in for thirteen years. She was constantly striving for self-improvement, as evidenced by her
dogged pursuit of her Open University Degree. She was wholly committed to the teaching profession
and she was a truly outstanding teacher: hard working and determined to ensure her command of
subject material, so that she could answer any question students asked at all levels, within lessons,
including Sixth Form.
Anna was excellent with junior classes and had a sound knowledge of scientific methodology. Each
year, along with her husband Steve, she organised ‘undoubtedly the best junior school science project’
on their farmland near Shipston-on-Stour. This was for the Year 9s during the 1990s. It took weeks to
organise each year and gave the students and the staff who went, a real insight into scientific
experimental fieldwork methods on soils, microclimate and habitats. It was a sheer joy to be involved
with the project and the children loved it.
Anna was a lively, determined, strong character who loved her job. She was an excellent Form Tutor
and Pastoral Leader of Year 11, who all really loved and respected her. She was unafraid to challenge
perceived injustices, often robustly, either in personal relations or wider school and departmental issues.
She was excellent at installing good behaviour and an enviable work ethic. She was very approachable
and always very supportive, either when assisting on residential school visits to the Netherlands or on
residential activity weeks. She was also active in keeping the Alton Towers trip going, which she
initiated for Year 11s at the end of GCSEs. She was someone you could absolutely depend on, largely
because she was so completely dedicated in everything she turned her hand to.
Anna was enormously proud to be an old girl of Shottery herself and would often tell the girls how much
stricter things were in her day! She was the first Head of KS4 and was one of the first members of staff
to take on special educational needs in an organised way.
She had a wonderful sense of fun – bringing (her own!) bouncy castle to school each year on the Year
11s last day and putting it on the centre lawn for all to enjoy. On several occasions, whilst listening to
girls perform musical pieces on the hall stage, Anna would jump up and dance exuberantly – a lovely
example of her ever-present joie de vivre.
It was an enormous shock for both the pupils and her colleagues alike, to learn of her cancer diagnosis.
Her fighting spirit and determination were inspirational, and she remained dedicated to her role at
Shottery despite her illness. Sadly, she lost her fight against the disease and passed away later that
year.
Cont’d
Anna Gleed
Cont/d
It was because of her love of life, her dedication to the girls at Shottery and her passionate devotion to
Science that there is an award in her name. It is an award for perseverance: for never giving up, for
staying focused on what you want to achieve and stopping at nothing to get there. Anna Gleed was a
truly remarkable lady, with a kind and generous heart, a love of life and laughter, and a dedication to
sharing her enthusiasm for her love of science. Anna Gleed was the epitome of perseverance.
On The Day of Celebration 2014, the Anna Gleed Award for Perseverance will be awarded to Georgie
Fisher (Y13), for her strength of character and level of determination despite some often challenging
circumstances. Anna would have been proud.
With thanks to
Mr R Stanbridge, former Headteacher of Shottery
Mr M White, former Head of Science and Chemistry
Miss D Brownhill, former Head of Sixth Form and Assistant Head.
Mr K Richardson, Head of Science (current)
Miss F Macvie, Geography (current)
BID Discount Card
As part of the school’s fundraising plans, we have launched the BID Discount Card. For those alumnae
living locally, we would like to extend the offer to you.
The support that the school has received from its community - parents, staff, governors, alumnae and girls - to
enable us to undergo Phase 2 of our improvement plan has been nothing short of amazing. The improved quality
and level of opportunities that will soon be available for the girls once the new facilities are up and running will be
a far more accurate reflection of where we want to be as one of the country’s leading girls’ grammar schools.
It is, however, vital that we continue to explore ways to raise funds that will enable us to move forward with the
improvement plan and continue to offer the girls the resources they deserve, in recognition of their commitment
to learning and their desire to achieve. With that in mind, we are extremely excited to announce our working
partnership with Stratforward BID and the launch of the BID Loyalty Card. However, in order for the scheme to
succeed for us, we must again ask for support.
The BID Loyalty Card is an initiative whereby a discount card has been distributed to employees of BID levy
payers. (A BID levy payer is a business based within the agreed Stratford boundary, with a rateable value of over
£9,500). All BID levy payers have then been given the opportunity to offer discounts and incentives to
cardholders. We have successfully negotiated with Stratforward to be the first school included in the scheme,
and have no doubt that the others will eventually follow!
In return for a donation to the school of just £75, you will receive the BID Loyalty Card by way of thanks. The
discounts and incentives available are diverse and there is certainly something for all members of the family. The
idea is that, over the coming months, you will be able to retrieve your initial financial outlay and go on to make
more savings too, through the many discount opportunities you will have at the various places that have chosen
to support this initiative.
Details of the offers are available on the Stratforward BID website, (www.stratforward.co.uk) and there is an
option to sign up to an email feed to keep you updated with up-to-the-minute offers and initiatives.
If you would like to take advantage of this scheme, please get in touch and upon receipt of payment we will post
the card out to you via Royal Mail.
Finally, this offer is open to anyone and everyone that wants to support both the school and the local
businesses. For that reason, if you know anybody that might like to make a donation to the school and receive a
Loyalty Card by way of thanks, do please ask them to get in touch via the email address [email protected]
and we can make alternative payment arrangements for them.
Again, thank you all for your support to date. We know we are extremely lucky to have such active and
interested supporters
Pause For Thought
A page for poetry, prose, quotes, sayings….from students and staff, present and past. If you have
something you’d like to see here, do please get in touch via [email protected]
You Are Your Own Greatest Asset
- Terry Everton You are your own greatest asset –
there is nothing you cannot do.
No one can keep you from dreaming
your dreams, and only you can
prevent them from coming true.
Your achievements are not
determined by your ability alone,
but by the desire you possess
to reach them. There are no
worlds outside of those you
create for yourself, and the only
boundaries are those you establish
and choose to live within.
Never be afraid to defend your
decisions, regardless. No one
can possibly know what is best
for you other than yourself.
Submitted by:
Camilla Harrison,
Marketing & Development
"If you wait until you can do
everything for everybody,
instead of
something for somebody,
you’ll end up
doing nothing for nobody.”
Malcolm Bane
Derived from her paternal grandmother who died
long before she was born, Diana Brownhill grew
up hearing this saying from her parents. It has
always stayed with her. Source unknown.
Good, better, best
Never, never rest
Until your good is better,
And your better, best.
"Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you
get the right ones in the right order, you can
nudge the world a little"
Tom Stoppard
Submitted by Diana Brownhill, the below is taken
from a poem written in 1874 by Arthur
O’Shaughnessy and the Ode was used by Sir
Edward Elgar in his choral work, ‘The Music
Makers’, first performed at the Birmingham Music
Festival of 1912. It depicts the isolation of the
creative artist.
We are the music makers
And we are the dreamer of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
School Today…
iDiscover India Trip 2014 – Before they left and during their visit!
Staff Coffee & Cake for
Breast Cancer Awareness
Junior Cross Country Team 2014
Y12 Workshop With Orchestra Of The Swan
Sixth Form Business Studies and Economics
Students at the Stratford Business Show
Student Interview with
Alumna
Karen Dotrice is probably best known for her role as Jane Banks in Walt
Disney’s feature film adaptation of the Mary Poppins book series. She is
the daughter of Roy and Kay Dotrice, two Shakespearean actors who met
and married whilst performing in repertory productions in England. She
was still a toddler when her father joined the Shakespeare Memorial
Theatre (later the Royal Shakespeare Company) and at the age of four,
she made her debut in an RSC Production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle
by Bertolt Brecht. There, a Disney scout saw Karen and brought her to
Burbank, California, to meet Walt Disney.
Karen is also a member of the Shottery Alumnae Society, having attended
from 1966-1973. She has very kindly agreed to answer some questions
from the current Shottery girls…
Karen writes to all her interviewers: ‘Thank you all for these super
questions!! Enjoy your time at Shottery; you are some of the
luckiest girls on this planet. And I hope to see some of you on the
silver screen. Love, Karen.
Questions submitted by Thara Harrison – Y13 – Performing Arts Student
How much to you think your education at Shottery helped you during your acting career?
My education at Shottery was a stabilising factor. As hard as it was to juggle school and work (as seen in
my report cards!), having my school life was the only consistent part of my world.
How important do you believe it is for an actor to have brains, as well as talent?
I think that a woman empowers herself when she allows her brain to fire on all cylinders, regardless of her
chosen profession.
I am aware that your parents are actors, but how did you actually get the role of Jane Banks?
The first Disney role I got was when I was 5 and that was The Three Lives of Thomasina’.
performance led to me getting the role of Jane Banks.
That
In an interview with The Telegraph, you said in hindsight you would never have taken the job
on Mary Poppins. So, if one of your children had got an audition for a new Disney film, would
you support them?
In the Telegraph article, I did not mean to infer that I had not enjoyed Mary Poppins, I just think that a
kid should be a kid. To that end, my daughter Bella wanted to be an actress for a while, which had me
worried! I tried to talk her out of going that route, but she said, ‘Mum, if I wanted to be a gymnast of
equestrian you’d support me!’ Busted…she was right.
Did moving to LA to do the film, and being pampered by Disney, change your view, as a child,
of how children should be treated?
Good question…Here’s where Shottery was so valuable, because when I’d return from whatever project I’d
been on, my friends and teachers were there for me. That kept me sane and grounded (I hope!). Thank
you Thara for your questions and enjoy these tough, but golden years!
Student Interview with
Alumna
Questions submitted by Ayanna Pahil – Y7
What, or who is your inspiration?
Nature inspires me. One of the joys of growing up in Warwickshire. I now live on a mountain in Malibu
California with an ocean view and huge boulders that emanate the most amazing energy. The coyotes,
tarantulas and rattle snakes are pretty cool too, from a distance!
Did you want to become an actress or did you just find yourself doing it, because of the
careers your parents had?
Growing up in an acting family was like being in a doctor’s family…there was an expectation that we
three daughters would join the family biz.
Did you enjoy playing Jane, and why?
To be honest, being plucked from Shipston on Stour and being thrust on to a sound stage with such
huge names and talent was pretty gosh darn terrifying! Thank God Dick and Julie were so very nice to
me, which soon calmed my terror. Ultimately, all the antics we got up to on set were fantastic fun. Tea
parties on the ceiling and merry-go-round horses and all these imaginary characters fed into the kid in
all the adults too.
What is your favourite ever movie?
Tough one…I like visual epics ,so Out of Africa, Ryan’s Daughter and Castaway (in fact, anything with
Tom Hanks as I have the hugest crush on him, so it was thrilling to meet him at the premier of Saving
Mr Banks, a film about making Mary Poppins)
What is your favourite book?
Well, the Bible is pretty cool in parts! The Alchemist and all poems by Pablo Neruda.
What is your favourite food?
Sushi
What is your current job?
I’ve been putting my toes back into doing public appearances, which is fun. Also, I produce TV shows
in the States with my husband.
Thank you for your questions Ayanna!
Student Interview with
Alumna
Questions submitted by Sophie Woodland – Y8
Do you have any regrets in your life – personal or professional?
Hi Sophie! I think I regret not having made more of my A levels and then I might have been able to go
to uni, which I wish I had. My daughter is in uni and loving it. I have to admit I’m more than jealous!
What is your favourite Disney film?
Dumbo. I think we all feel ridiculed and different at times in our life, so I empathise with Dumbo
working with his differences.
Did you ever miss Shottery after you’d left?
I didn’t miss Shottery for a few years, butt hen as life and obligations became more real, I wished I was
still back in school in that horrid uniform, fantasising about KES boys!
Do you ever wish you’d stayed at Shottery?
I stayed through A levels…
Were you a good pupil or a rebel?
I was a pretty good student, considering I had to be absent for work so much. I remember when I was
taking my O levels, I also had to drive up and down to London to rehearse and shot a TV series called
‘Upstairs Downstairs’, so that was tough – should I cram or learn lines?
Why did you never move back to England?
As I’m answering this question, I’m looking out of the window on a 75 degree dayt and the Pacific
Ocean is glistening in the sun. Red-tailed hawks are circling around and I’m in shorts and a T-shirt in
November – any other questions!?!?
Thank you Sophie – hope you come to LA one day!
Questions submitted by Millie Kilsby – Y7
Did you have a role model growing up, and if so who was it and why?
I’ve always liked animal rights activists and I met Jane Goodall who works with chimpanzees. I think
she’s whom I’d like to be!!
Who was your Headteacher when you came to Shottery?
Miss Tudor was the Headmistress and Mrs Griffiths was the Deputy.
Other than Mary Poppins, what is your favourite Disney Film?
I liked the first film I did, The Three Lives of Thomasina
What subjects did you take at university or college?
After Shottery I continued making movies, so didn’t get a chance to go to uni – I wish I had!
What was your favourite song in Mary Poppins?
I liked the song Julie Andrews sang to us ‘Stay Awake’ as we were tucked upin bed and the studio lights
were hot and made me so sleepy. It was great to actually be allowed to fall asleep!
Thank you for these questions, Millie.
Student Interview with
Alumna
Questions submitted by Caitlin Lilley– Y8
What was Walt Disney like?
Uncle Walt was a pussycat! Soft and quietly spoken. He was quite burly and cuddle…which is not how
the adult executives saw him at all!
Why is your chicken called Beyonce?
Beyonce won’t shut up and is always squawking and she is a gorgeous black colour!
What advice would you give someone who wants to become an actress?
Don’t take no for an answer and if you REALLY want it, do whatever it takes (that is legal and not
fattening!). One of the earlier questions asked which is my favourite book. I replied The Alchemist. A
quote from which is, ‘And when you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you achieve
it’
Did you enjoy Shottery?
It’s school, so not always! I loved the close friends I made. I loved some of my teachers, I loved the
gift of knowledge Shottery gave me. I LOVED the old manor house and the cherry blossoms and
getting an art studio in Sixth Form!! I hated the food, which I’m sure has improved no end since my
pre-historic era!!
Would you ever come back to Shottery to visit and see how much it’s changed?
Actually, I did visit Shottery with my kids about eight years ago.
It’s as beautiful as I
remember…smaller of course, as all things are when you get older. I’d love to come back and have a
proper visit in the future.
Are you still in touch with your friends from Shottery?
My two best friends in the world are the two gals I met at Shottery. Sandra Harvey and Hannah
Beecham. Also, Lynda Dyer is a good friend. Earlier this year, Sandra got together about ten of us ‘old
gals’ at a pub in Shipston for a reunion. Oh boy, I felt sorry for the other clientele there…we cackled
and laughed and reminisced about the good old days of yore!
When you were 12, what did you want to be?
An international showjumper!
If you hadn’t have been an actress or if you hadn’t gone to america, what do you think you
would have been?
I would have loved to have ridden professionally. I wasn’t that bad and loved three day events and
hunting.
Are you still friends with the people from Mary Poppins? Do you think it’s important to keep
in touch?
I’m actually doing an autograph signing with Dick Van Dyke Decemberr 6th, so I see him quite often.
Julie is my next door neighbour, so we borrow sugar off eachother!
Cont/d over
Student Interview with
Alumna
Continued Questions submitted by Caitlin Lilley– Y8
Did you enjoy PE?
Nope…hated it! I used to fib and pretend I always had my…you know what!
Were you in any of the Shottery school plays?
They never cast me
Were you well behaved in lessons?
I tried to be, but Sandra Harvey was always passing me notes and we’d get caught. You can print that
and she can deny it!
If you come back to Shottery whilst we are still here, please may I meet you?
Caitlin, I would LOVE to meet you! Hopefully I can pop by next year, as I have a few personal
appearances to make in Birmingham. Thank you for your questions!
Continued Questions submitted by Jessica Madden – Y7
When you were younger, did you want to be an actress?
I started work when I was three, so there was no ‘younger’!!
What was your favourite thing about being at Shottery?
I was very proud to get in to Shottery as it has always been a top school and really competitive. I loved
the sisterhood, the location (we used to have fun sending tourists who asked us ‘Where is Anne
Hathaway’s House?’ off in the opposite direction). I loved the literature we studied and the vocabulary
that we learned as a result. At the time, some of the stuff we learn in school seems irrelevant but you
will find you use SO much of this info in real life.
How long did Mary Poppins take to make? Did the excitement of being in it wear off by the
time you came to the end?
Mary Poppins took about a year to make as we had rehearsals for song and dance before we started
filming. Actually, it was really sad when the filming ended as we’d all become so close. And I loved
living in LA.
Are you happy?
Great question! Yes, I’m very happy. But along the way I’ve come to realise that no-one else is
responsible for your happiness. Keeping yourself happy isn’t hard, it comes from self respect. And self
respect comes from making sure that no-one uses you. As girls, we have to empower ourselves and
get away from the stereotypes of yesteryear. We are girls… WE CAN DO ANYTHING!
Thank you for these super questions, Jessica!
Student Interview with
Alumna
Continued Questions submitted by Charlotte Braso– Y7
Did you have any singing or dancing lessons and if so, where did you go for them and what
made you do it?
We had weeks of rehearsals for MP where they taught us dance steps. Back in the day we recorded the
songs with a live orchestra and then it was put on vinyl. Julie Andrews was really helpful to me, as I’m
not a singer and she made me feel OK with that.
Would you recommend others following in your footsteps, because there was an article
where you said you regretted doing Mary Poppins and other film roles?
I think if acting (or anything) is your passion, you should shoot for the moon. For me, I wouldn’t have
picked that career, but I’m proud and happy with that portion of my life.
In your career did you ever get stage fright, and if so how did you overcome it?
This sounds like name dropping…but I once asked Lawrence Olivier if he got stage fright. He replied
that, ‘The day I’m not terrified to be onstage, I’ll need to give up show business!’ Nerves are a very
natural reaction to exposing yourself. They suck…but it’s natural…just breathe!
How did you manage working in films and getting schoolwork done?
Ugh…not very well if you see my old grades! By law, film or TV companies have to supply you with a
private tutor, but one time I was doing a film in Capri and Ischia and the tutor was in Naples…so I’d
have to take a ferry to her to collect school work! The teachers at Shottery were very supportive of
these dilemmas and cut me some slack!
What is still on your list of things to do?
Yikes…SO much!! Mainly travel. But I also work with animal rescue groups saving dogs and cats from
high kill shelters in LA. I would like to start my own charity to raise awareness and funds in order to
change these shelters to halfway houses and not death camps!
What is your most favourite film that you worked on?
I’ve liked all of them for different reasons, but I guess Mary Poppins stands out as the best because of
all the crazy things we were allowed to do as kids.
How does it feel to be part of one of the biggest films of all time (and my absolute
favourite!), Mary Poppins?
I feel honoured and always a little surprised at how that film has lasted for so very long! A nanny and
some penguins – who’d have thought right?!?!
Thank you for your questions, Charlotte!
Student Interview with
Alumna
Continued Questions submitted by Harriet Angell– Y7
What was Shottery li8ke when you were here?
Well, the last of the dinosaurs had just died out…
What is your favourite Shottery memory?
Can I really confess these tales?!? Sharing Sandra and Lynda’s packed lunches, giggling and being
badly behaved. Thanking God that I never got a minus mark for Austen!! Art classes, cooking classes
with Ms Lax. Going downtown on lunch break. Sixth form common room. Snow days. Assemblies.
Other than Mary Poppins, which Disney film would yoyu have liked to have been in, and
what part would you have liked to play.
I think The Parent Trap would have been a fun project.
Who was your best friend at Shottery?
Sandra Harvey. And she still is.
Who was your best friend on set during Mary Poppins?
My chaperone, Lee. She made me cinnamon toast and chocolate milk for breakfast every day!
you for these questions, Harriet!
Questions submitted by several girls
What inspired you to act?
My parents telling me to!
Why did it take you 50 years to watch Mary Poppins in its entirety?
Well…I thought it might be a boring film to watch! It isn’t!!!
Thank
Student Interview with
Alumna
Random Quickfire Questions!
Green or black?
Green – pits in!
Favourite Sense?
Sight
If you had to lose one of your sense, which one would it be and why?
Sixth sense!
Were you on any sports teams here at Shottery?
Oh God no…I was useless at sport, hated the showers and have absolutely no eye-hand coordination!
Did your fame lose you friends?
I don’t think so – not the good ones anyway
Did your fame surround you with people that you would not necessarily have chosen as
your friends?
I think that’s true for all of us, don’t you? We all have to pick and choose our friends. And sometimes
we don’t make good choices. One time, I was so jealous that my best friend Sandra had sent me to
Coventry, that I hit her over the head with a biology book!! I’m sure those books haven’t got any lighter
over the years! And yes, she forgave me!
If you could have one super power, what would it be, why and what would you do with it?
I’d like to be invisible with wings. I could change a lot of things if they couldn’t see me coming!
Do you believe in ghosts?
My old house in Shipston was haunted by a King Charles Cavalier. He was well behaved until I started
dating and then, when I’d try to sneak in late, he’d chuck things about and wake up my parents!
What is your favourite flower?
Snowdrops
If tomorrow was your last day, what is the first thing you would do?
I’d say, ‘Oh noodles, this is my last day’
What is the worst Christmas present you’ve ever received?
Hahahahaha an antique xylophone from my parents. I don’t have a musical bone in my body…and I’ve
proved that in a few movies!
Were you ever bullied?
Of course. I think everyone is at some point. At my primary school in Tredington, the kids hated me
and used to have ‘wars’ against me. If it hadn’t have been for my friend Hannah Beecham, I’d have
had a miserable early childhood.
Student Interview with
Alumna
Cont/d Random Quickfire Questions!
What is your worst habit?
Thinking I’m right…
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us?
I’m normal…for a kid actor!
What is the kindest thing you’ve done for someone you don’t know?
This sounds really weird, but I’m on the Board of the Children’s Burn Foundation, so I think the answer
would be that I’ve bought cadavers’ skin for kids I don’t know.
What do you want for Christmas?
I’d like all of YOU to get your wishes!
What is the most unusual present you’ve ever received and who was it from?
An old boyfriend Tim Willes from KES gave me a blue box with a necklace in it. I was so excited…until I
realised it was a necklace made from horseshoe nails. Bloody agony to wear!
Regular Reminders
Have We Missed
Anyone?
Do you know of any old girls that
are not on our contact list and
would like to be? If so, please ask
them to email their contact details
to us so that we can add them to
our distribution list.
Have you
moved? Got married? Changed
your name? Got a new email
address? Please let us know so
that we stay up to date!
[email protected]
Who Is On Your
Alumnae Committee?
Diana Brownhill Chair
Helen Benger Secretary
Della Morris
Treasurer
Sally Dowding Legal Advisor
Lyn Hobbs
Bonny Kendal
Stephanie Jackson
Debbie Precious
Sarah Fisher
Aly Grimes
If you have an interest in joining
the committee, do please get in
touch in the first instance with Di
Brownhill via email:
[email protected]
A Vicious
Circle…
As you know, work experience is a hugely valuable opportunity
for the girls. It offers them the chance to prove or improve their
employability skills, to gain experience in a specific sector and
make beneficial connections for future applications. It also
enables them to make more informed decisions about whether
their chosen sector is right for them.
If you or your employer are in a position to offer a planned work
experience placement for one week to one of our Y11, Y12 or
Y13 students, we would love to hear from you. You don't have to
be local to Stratford, as many of our girls can travel. Please get
in touch…it really makes such a difference to the girls. Many
thanks… [email protected]
Giving
If you would like to help fundraise for the school, or you would
like to donate personally, do please get in touch with us. You
might like to consider Planned Giving, or a regular donation on a
monthly or annual basis. You might want to organise an event in
order to contribute to fundraising efforts, or perhaps just offer
your organisational skills or your time. Either way, we’d love to
hear from you.
Disclaimer and Data Protection Statement
•
•
It will be deemed that any and all contributions via email, social media or otherwise, can be taken as
permission for the Alumnae Society to use as part of their communications, unless otherwise stated in
writing.
Stratford Girls’ Grammar School adheres to our Data Protection Policy, a copy of which can be obtained
upon request. We will not share your contact details with a third party without your written
permission.