Head Master’s Welcome March 2023
It has been a blockbuster half term of activity in the College community and this newsletter will give you a good flavour of it all. We concluded the term with flurry of creative energy, from a hard-fought House Debating Final (Gibbs’ successfully defending the motion that This House regrets the rise of “cancel culture”) to multiple performances in the theatre and an explosion of musical energy in concerts, from the House Music finals to our full-blown Lent concert performances and the intense focus of the chamber ensemble performances.
There has been outdoor adventure near-and-far too. While the sodden conditions for the CCF, Scouts and DofE overnight exercises did not dampen spirits I’m sure that one or two participants would have been delighted to consider swapping with those lucky enough to be zooming off to Iceland (Geography fieldwork), Cyprus (tennis), Italy (skiing) and Barbados (cricket and netball tour) as the Easter break gets underway.
By tradition the Lent Term is the time in which Houses focus their collective efforts not just on the fun of internal competitions (the League Run was particularly hard-fought this year) but on looking outwards to supporting their chosen charities. Organisations in the locality and those with a national and international reach have all been supported over the term. This is very much a student-led enterprise and the Charity Reps take great pride in their efforts and inventiveness. Altogether over £15,000 has been raised so far, with our most recent focus on supporting our friends and partners in Malawi in the aftermath of the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Freddy earlier this month.
In the early hours of the morning of 13 March, floods and mudslides swept away livelihoods, homes and – tragically – lives too. We have responded to the needs of our partner charity Care In Action as it seeks to support local families with food, potable water, blankets and tents. If you would like to add to the magnificent efforts of your daughters and sons, please do click on the link to donate. https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/careinactioncyclonefreddy
£10 buys a blanket, £32 buys a 50kg bag of maize. Every pound you are able to give will bring tangible and potentially life-saving benefits.
A portrait of Lancing
Lancing College opened its doors for the first time in August 1848. We are planning a whole range of celebrations for our 175th birthday and the 2023/24 academic year will be a time when the Lancing community will recognise the importance of our history, appreciate the journey to where we are today and share in the excitement of the future. More details will follow, but we plan to open the year with an event where your input will be a vital element.
What is happening?
We will be commissioning photographic portraits for an exhibition in the Dining Hall in celebration of the full diversity of the Lancing community as we celebrate our 175th year. The images will be presented in an eye-catching and dramatic display and will be in place alongside the grand portraiture of Nathaniel Woodard and our other founding grandees. The exhibition will be available to view throughout the year.
Your role
We want all members of the Lancing community to nominate any living Lancing people, including alumni, current students, or staff members (academic and non-academic) you would like to see included in recognition of their personal or professional achievement. Whether you focus on their journey to Lancing, their time at the College, or their life and achievements after their time here, any and every nomination will be welcome.
You can nominate someone for the project using this form: https://forms.office.com/e/2tXTY084bu. You can make up to three nominations. Please provide a full name, details of their association with Lancing, and up to 100 words to explain why you think they should be featured. Nominations will close on Friday 21 April.
What next?
I will be chairing a panel to select a representative sample from across the nominations. The images will be taken by acclaimed professional photographer Fran Monks during the late spring and early summer and the exhibition will be launched in September 2023 to mark the beginning of our anniversary celebrations.
Nominations close on 21 April and I hope that a small part of your Easter break will be given over to considering who amongst the myriad Lancing community you would like to celebrate. Whether friend or mentor, teacher or student, part of public life or figure behind-the-scenes, long-standing OL or someone still here at the College, do take this chance to put someone forward for recognition: all nominations will be very welcome.
With best wishes,
Dominic Oliver