It was an absolute pleasure to host our Green & Silver Club Festive Drinks Reception at the House of Lords earlier this month. With over 200 alumni reconnecting and reminiscing over their school days, the atmosphere was positively buzzing.
Baroness Sugg welcomed everyone to the Cholmondeley Terrace and paid tribute to the excellent education she received from Surbiton High School. The room was filled with plenty of laughter as distant memories were recalled of green knickers, watery hot chocolate and Second Prayers which took place every Friday at the end of the School day. Fortissimo provided some sensational music, demonstrating the passion and musical talent that is evident at Surbiton High School. Both Rebecca Glover, Principal, and Ayesha Strachan, Chair of the Green & Silver Club, thanked everyone for joining us and for their continued contributions to the School through mentoring and career talks, and they both encouraged those present to spread the word about our growing alumni network. The evening ended with a heartfelt performance of the School hymn ‘Our father by whose servants’.
“Last Thursday evening, the Head Girl Team were invited to the House of Lords as the Green & Silver Club were holding their Festive Drinks Reception on the Cholmondeley Terrace. We were unsure what to expect as this was our first experience of networking but we had such an exciting time. There were over 200 alumni present including an old boy. It was really interesting and helpful to speak to former pupils who have followed a path that we may want to pursue and explore in the future. We were able to chat to women who have been through all kinds of careers and experiences to get to their current position, and this was eye opening for us to understand the routes we could take in the future. It was also so incredible and unique to be able to have the event at the House of Lords and meet Baroness Sugg, a former pupil of Surbiton High School; what an experience! We are so grateful to Ms Rumbold and the Green & Silver Club for this opportunity!” Briony Evans and Martha Geraghty (Head Girl Team)
“What an amazing night. So much fun and love; a special trait of Surbiton High School girls. The time passed too quickly. One big happy alumni family welcoming all to join us for truly memorable occasions”. Irene Bedingfield (Henshaw) (Head of PE 1974-1986)
“I haven’t been to any reunions since I left in 2001 and it was really uplifting to recall memories and connect again with the School. I loved meeting your Head Girl team too… so much energy and enthusiasm for life and their futures! I remember bubbling with the same energy back then :).” Alice Mayor (1994-2001)
“As probably one of the older, old girls, leaving in 1961, I would like to thank you so much for organising such a successful evening. I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience of the Green & Silver Club. What a wonderful venue, delicious canapés and wine, overlooking the Thames with its Christmas lights. I was delighted to meet ‘girls’ I knew, unbelievably 50 years ago, as well as being able to chat to some of the charming Head Girl Team. I will look forward to hearing about future events and hope I am able to join you for some of them.” Jenifer Grant (Jeffery)
“I was just about to write to you to say what a brilliant evening you organised at the House of Lords when I received your email. It really was so cleverly planned with clearly labelled tables of our years so we could find other alumni of the same era. I personally had some wonderful interactions with not just old friends, but new Surbiton High School pupils who discussed their experiences of the School. Surbiton High School has certainly changed for the better over the years, yet it still has the same underlying principles of finding and developing to the full the various talents of the pupils. It was good to meet and have a brief chat with Rebecca Glover – a fellow Yorkshire lass! I have every confidence she will take the School from strength to strength. What a delightful touch to have musical interlude – I LOVED the singers and the arrangements they sang. What a superb credit to the School! They were so talented and yet modest, and had clearly been expertly tutored by their enthusiastic teacher.” Honor Brown (Lockwood) (1951 -1962)
