From Our President

Peter Lever (G 62-66)

Dear Old St Beghians,

As I write this note for the January 2019 Bulletin I reflect on the 184 crosses which lined the approach to St Bees Priory Church, each one naming an OSB killed in the First World War. This is what greeted one on a wet and windy Remembrance Day Sunday morning at St Bees. A day that commemorated 100 years since the signing of the armistice that ended the Great War.

It was a heart-wrenching and provocative sight. While most OSBs alive today have thankfully been spared the atrocity of war, we must be for ever grateful to those Old St Beghians who gave their lives for us in both World Wars.

Equally as moving was the Chapel Service on OSB Day when the names of those 184 were read out and a plaque unveiled to commemorate the occasion.

A big thank you to George Robson, who has been so involved on behalf of the Society in orchestrating our Remembrance tribute both in the School Chapel on OSB Day and at the Priory on Remembrance Sunday and in personally presenting two plaques to the school commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ending of World War 1 and honouring some of those OSBs killed. 

With the school now reopen and refurbishment continuing there is much to be positive about. However, the fact remains that the reopening project has a long way to go and the pathway ahead is extremely demanding. Opening with only ten children may seem a strange thing to have done, but the Directors believed it was essential to get the school open without further delay. Marketing the school from the current position is now the priority and I am pleased to report that there is an increased interest from parents of prospective entrants. 

The relationship between Full Circle and the St Bees School Charitable Trust is the vital component in re-establishing St Bees School. The Trust remains financially constrained, although progress is being made in the disposal of non-essential school assets. Full Circle continue to develop their international education base with the purchase of a language school in Cambridge, the opening of three kindergarten schools in China, and plans for a prep school in Hong Kong. Their international marketing approach to education should have a positive impact on student numbers at St Bees in due course.

The OSB properties on Lonsdale Terrace are no longer required by the school and the ongoing cost of maintaining them is not financially sustainable by the Society. Therefore the best option for realising this asset will shortly be decided by the Trustees of the Guarantee Trust Fund, and in due course a decision will then be made as to the extent and means by which the resulting funds might be applied to support the School Trust.

I wish to thank all OSBs who have remained loyal to the cause over the past three and a half years since closure, in particular the Branch Chairmen and Secretaries, who have continued to run regional events, and to all those who attended OSB Day in 2018 and our Remembrance service.

The task of getting groups of OSBs together becomes ever more difficult, with alumni more widely spread across the globe than ever before and the declining number of OSBs resulting from the three years of closure. Our current records indicate that about 38% of the known Society members have addresses in Cumbria (although several of these are likely to still be parents’ addresses which have not been updated) and more interestingly a quarter of our membership is female. Sadly the Society currently seems unable to draw the ladies to OSB events in any numbers. There is much need for improvement in this area and it is something the OSB Committee is trying to address as well as reassessing the Society's role in the future.

Please try to visit the school in 2019. The refurbished condition of the buildings and the maintenance of the grounds are a credit to all those who have been involved over the past fifteen months, and you may also see children running about once more! The school staff will give you a warm welcome, but please do announce yourself at the school’s Main Reception on arrival. In these days of safeguarding regulations, visitors can no longer come and go as they wish on the school estate.

Finally, a sincere thank you to Pam Rumney, Tony Reeve and David Lord for continuing to keep the Society flag flying to the benefit of us all.

I wish all OSBs, wherever you are in the world, a successful and prosperous 2019.

Peter G. Lever (President).

 

 

Home

The St Beghian Society    
St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

         Tel: (01946) 828093      Email: osb@stbeesschool.co.uk      Web: www.st-beghian-society.co.uk