Page 52 - Old Malvernian Newsletter - Issue 43 - 2020

EOG NEWS
Vicki Beach (née Bateman) (62-67) writes: ‘After 17 years of supporting a 700-girl primary school in rural Uganda - offering free lunches, medical care and literacy support - our charity is now building a mixed secondary school from the ground up. It is the only secondary school for miles. Too many children from the 10 local primary schools were dropping out of education, and we had to do something! The need is to build so that 1,000 children can have secondary education, so we have a huge challenge ahead.’ Anyone interested in knowing more please get in touch with Vicki at www.fsmu.co.uk
Tessa Coker (66-70) has been living in Mammoth Lakes, CA for 20 years and ‘still feels very British’. Although she does not get back to the UK very often owing to financial constraints she did come back recently for a flying visit to family and friends. She teaches a variety of group fitness classes in the area. Aged 66, and retirement not yet on the horizon, Tessa feels the years creeping up physically if not emotionally. If she wins the lottery, she would like to retire to Audley Ellerslie (for a full circle).
Eileen Crewdson (42-51) writes: ‘Although mainly based in London, we regularly go to our house in Bromyard which enables me to keep up with Pamela Binyon, who I have known since we were toddlers! I am pleased to say she is well and keeps very busy visiting the local nursing homes and giving Holy Communion to those unable to attend church. I also keep in touch with Molly Powell (née John) (45-51) and her sister Sheila. Molly and Sheila travelled up to Wick in Scotland to see Sheila’s daughter who is working as a doctor there in the local hospital. Molly is still farming and we frequently have lunch together. Paddy Browning (née Young) (43-51) is still in Nefyn, North Wales and one of her sons has now moved to be near her as he loves the area. I also see Rita Roddick (née Price) (43-50) who lives in Hereford. I went to a wonderful concert at Westminster Cathedral (The Dream of Gerontius) and Michèle Edwards-Clark (56- 65) was singing. Michèle and I do meet up from time to time in London.’
Pam Figures (née Timmis) (46-51) writes that Pamela Anstey (Pam’s tennis partner at school) and Julia Davenport (née Scholfield) (49-51) are both well. Sandy McCrone (née Figures) (69-76) is enjoying life in New Zealand where she is playing lots of golf and during the year achieved a hole in one, so having her name on a plaque on the wall of the Club House. Sandy and John took half-pension lump sums and cut down their work loads and John now works part time (alternate weeks). One of their daughters is an artist and author of four adult cartoon books with beautiful illustrations. The younger daughter is in marketing.
Pam’s sister. Carole Tovey (née Timmis) (45- 54) is currently not well, suffering with heart and walking problems. Pam goes regularly with her family to their house in the Isle of Wight for quiet and pleasure, having had the house there for 50 years.
Jane Mott (63-70) is happily settled into retirement in Shoreham-by-Sea and now very much enjoying being a granny. As an active member of the Green Party, it’s been a busy year with elections and campaigns. More than ever, anything other than saving our planet seems irrelevant. Also the other members are some of the nicest people you could hope to meet. Jane’s husband’s Parkinson’s is a challenge but under control, and also leads to new friends at the many activities available.
Cally Taylor’s (84-91) sixth psychological thriller, ‘Sleep’, was the Richard and Judy autumn pick, a Sunday Times bestseller and won an Amazon Readers’ Award. Her next book, ‘Strangers’, will be published later this year.
Sally Thomas (née Leng) (Ell. 63-70) (Malcol 70-71) was the first girl to attend Malvern College, being a Housemaster’s daughter, and her final year at school was spent in the company of 500 plus boys, some of whom she still sees. Some people, both at Ellerslie and Malvern College will remember her parents, Eve and Tony Leng. Eve died earlier this year, at the age of 97, having spent all of her married life at the College, and Buzzy (Sally’s sister) arranged a very lovely Thanksgiving service for her in the College Chapel in June,
attended by many of the college community. After 13 years of living for half of the year in a wine village in Burgundy, Sally sold the house there in September, and returned full time to Cheltenham. The plan is to travel a bit, mainly in Europe whilst she can, and she has found a delightful local French lady to help her keep my French up to scratch, having invested a lot of time and effort in learning the language. ‘Dad would have been proud of that!’
Nell Williams (née Pritchard-Gordon) (81-85) writes: ‘In November a group of us went to Audley Ellerslie for a 50th birthday lunch for Jo Caswell. What a difference! Delicious food, no Ellerslie dining routines and wine with the meal. I regularly see Mally Hann (Austin) who is busily baking in Cardiff, Lucy Von Weber (Reeves) whom she had known a while through ‘Visit Wales’ before finding out we had both been at Ellerslie and Rebecca Dolphin who divides her time between her Welsh homewares shop ‘Ty Cariad’ in Brecon and her new home in Pembrokeshire. Jules Weldon (Zacharias) came to stay last year and we had a brilliant catch-up. Looking forward to seeing Fiona Taylor (Arnold) and her new business ‘The Urban Herbery’ in May at the Glanusk Estate Fayre and NGS Open Garden which I organise and was a finalist for Best Event in the inaugural Mid-Wales Tourism Awards in 2019. I spent a couple of days in Brecon with friends whose father Tim Cooper was in No.4 with my father, James Pritchard- Gordon, Norris Bomford and Chris Birks looking at old photos. It seems my life revolves around Malvern and Wales.
Sarah Titmuss (née Gordon-Smith), and some of the class of 1973 got together for lunch in August. In the photo are Sarah Clive, Corrie Bowyer (Wilson), Michelle Brownridge-Jones (King), Sarah Titmuss, Rosie Henderson (Simmonds) Carole Hathaway (Boreland) Janet Martin (Hopker) and Louise Macvitie.
52 | Old Malvernian Newsletter