connect february 2016

CONNECTFriends of NGHS Magazine

Issue 9 February 2016

NGHS Celebrating 140 Years

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Cover image: Climbing Kilimanjaro, World Challenge Tanzania 2015

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then as we conti nue our 140th anniversary celebrati ons.

The festi ve period was as busy as ever with some beauti ful concerts and nati viti es, our annual Christmas party for local senior citi zens, our traditi onal carol services and a German languages trip to the Christmas markets in Cologne and Aachen. Now that a new year has begun, we very much look forward to the opportuniti es that 2016 is going to bring us, and with the building of the SPACe due for completi on this year, it is undoubtedly going to be an exciti ng ti me for the school and our community.

I do hope that you enjoy reading this issue of Connect. As always, if you would like to contribute to a future editi on, please do get in touch as we would love to hear from you.

Yours sincerely

Susan M GorhamHead

WelcomeWelcome to the ninth editi on of Connect, our Friends of NGHS magazine.

Since the last issue, it has been an extremely busy few months. At the end of the summer we once again celebrated fantasti c examinati on results, which saw us placed as the top school in Notti nghamshire in the Times League Table! This is a fantasti c accolade and, as we celebrate our 140th anniversary of educati ng girls, it is also a parti cularly fi tti ng tribute to single-sex educati on. We are very proud to have been pioneering girls’ educati on since 1875, and look forward to many more years of success.

In September, we started the new academic year with gusto! We celebrated with our GCSE and A Level students at the Celebrati on and Awards Evening at the Albert Hall. We were thrilled to welcome former RAF pilot, Mandy Hickson, as our guest speaker, and the audience were enthralled by her tales of adventure and heroism. There were some fabulous performances by our talented girls and the staff choir also performed a rousing and emoti onal renditi on of ‘Hallelujah!’ which was very well received, and there were even a few tears in the audience.

Already this year, the girls have taken part in numerous sporti ng fi xtures, concerts and enrichment acti viti es. The October half term saw our Year 6 and 7 Hockey players embark on their fi rst ever overseas tour to Holland, which was a great success, and our Spanish students visited El Puerto de Santa Maria to soak up the Spanish culture. A team of cyclists braved the 140 mile Coast to Coast bike ride, raising lots of money for charity along the way, and four of our Sixth Formers spent two weeks on a study placement in Wildpoldsried, Germany, learning about renewable energy technologies, which was a fantasti c opportunity for them.

In November, we welcomed back 75 alumnae and former staff to our ‘Reunion Across the Decades’, which was a great occasion. Thank you to everyone who came along, I do hope that you enjoyed being back at NGHS. If you were unable to att end, the next reunion date is Saturday 7 May, so we hope to see you

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School NewsEXAMINATION RESULTS 2015During the summer, we once again celebrated an outstanding set of exam results, which confirmed us as the top school in Nottinghamshire for both GCSE and A Level results, according to the Times School League Tables. This is a fantastic accolade, and we are very proud of our staff and students for their hard work and dedication.

GCSE RESULTS74.1% of Nottingham Girls' High School's GCSE results were the top grades of A* or A. 93.5% of results were at grades A* to B, and 100% of passes were in the 5 A* to C bracket.

likely to pursue traditionally 'male' subjects such as Physics and Maths. Everything from our curriculum to extra-curricular activities and pastoral care is driven and designed with girls in mind."

A LEVEL RESULTS46.9% of results were at grades A* or A, and 77.6% of results at A* to B. The overall pass rate was 99.3%.

The results are once again a demonstration of the success of single-sex education. Sue Gorham, Head, said of the results, "We couldn't be prouder of our girls and their tremendous accomplishments...single-sex education means an education with no limits and no compromise for girls. An all-girls environment provides a more focussed experience for students which among other things, means students are more

SWIMMING SUCCESSCongratulations to Year 13 student, Rosie Rudin, who is now a world record holder! Rosie competed in the Fina World Junior Swimming Championships in Singapore in August and set a new world record time of 4:39.01 in the women's 400m IM - the first female ever to swim it in less than 4:40! Rosie has also been selected to represent GB senior swimmers in Belgium and has been shortlisted for junior sportsperson of the year at the Nottinghamshire Sports Awards in February. Well done Rosie!


YEAR 12 STEM TRIP TO BAVARIAFour Year 12 girls recently had a great opportunity to go on an Erasmus funded trip to Bavaria, to spend a two week study placement in Wildpoldsried, Germany, with Sasie Training Ltd, learning about renewable energy technologies. Maria, Sarah, Yueh-Chia and Phoebe visited wind turbines and hydroelectric power plants, and even made working solar cases that could be hooked up to chargers and speakers. The knowledge and experience that they gained led to them receiving a Level 3 Award in the Rational Use of Renewable Energy. It wasn’t all work and no play though - the girls also visited Munich, the Deutsch Museum and Neuschwanstein Castle.

NSPCCA culmination of events around the school raised £1000 for the NSPCC last term. Based around the theme of Alice in Wonderland and combined with The Big Draw, girls posed with props that had been created in the Art department. At the end of the week there was a coffee morning at which Junior girls dressed up as Alice characters and sold cakes with the help of some of the Sixth Formers. It was great fun for a great cause and in November a cheque was presented to Jenny Farr MBE, alumna of the school and President of the Nottingham branch of the NSPCC.

MUSIC HALL CELEBRATIONTo celebrate our 140th anniversary in appropriate fashion, our Christmas concert this year was performed in the style of 'The Good Old Days' with music, dance and comedy as it would have been performed in the Music Halls of the past. The show was a great success and all of the girls - and staff! - did a superb job of capturing that old time atmosphere!

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World Challenge Tanzania 2015

by Elizabeth Fraser, Year 12

BUILD UP DAYAfter almost a year of planning and training our African Adventure was finally here. Fourteen girls and our leaders met at NGHS for our final kit check before our departure. Our neatly packed backpacks were tipped out onto the hall floor where the leaders checked the contents one by one. There were a few disagreements over what was considered “necessary” for the trip but we got there in the end. The rest of the day was spent allocating jobs, handing out group equipment and talking over our excitement and fear for the trip. The team left school in the early evening to get some rest for the big journey ahead.

After a fairly manic check-in, a sing-song on the piano and security checks we made it on to our first flight to Dubai. From Dubai we then caught another plane to the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam. At the airport we were met by our guide Felix who took us to our night’s accommodation and then out for dinner at a local restaurant. It was at dinner we had our first experience of “Africa Time” but nevertheless we still had fun. The rest of our time in Dar es Salaam was mainly spent organising an itinerary for our time in Tanzania and getting used to the new culture. We had to book our accommodation, transport and activities for the trip and with the language barrier this was sometimes difficult but with the help of our ‘in country’ guides we managed to get organised.

THE JOURNEY AND DAR ES SALAAMThe team arrived at school for 1pm, we grabbed our bags and loaded up the school mini bus. After some tearful goodbyes from our parents we headed off to Heathrow.

MOSHI AND MT LONGIDO TREKAfter a rather early start we headed to the supermarket to get food for our first trek. Unfortunately we got the supermarket timings wrong and ended up there an hour early which meant we had to sit in the cold car park for an hour eating our interesting breakfast,


but our spirits were not dampened. After the supermarket we headed to Longido, we had a chance to look around the village and then we headed off on the trek. The walking was not difficult but it was very hot which made us all very tired. I think all of us were surprised by the amount of people coming out of their villages to greet us along the way. We arrived at camp just before it got dark and so we started to cook our dinner of rice and vegetables which was much appreciated after the tiring day. The next day we got up early, ate our breakfast which consisted of porridge and biscuits and started walking. It was steeper walking than the day before and with the hot climate we found it difficult but everyone was very supportive of one another. We climbed up the rock using a rope and after a 100m scramble, we made it to the summit where we were rewarded with beautiful views of both Kenya and Tanzania. After fearing this trek for a long time this was a huge achievement for the team and I think it gave us even more confidence for climbing Kilimanjaro. We then descended the mountain back down to camp where we would stay for one more night. The next day, after tipping our guides, we continued our descent back to the village. Once we were there we were taken to a Masaai village where we were shown their houses and played with the children. We all found it really interesting learning about their way of life and how different it is to ours. We were then taken for lunch and then to a market where we could buy Masaai jewellery. After this, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Moshi.

KILIMANJAROAfter a rest day in Moshi we headed off to Kilimanjaro National Park. For most of us in the team this phase of the trip will be the most memorable and rewarding. It took us six days to walk up and two days to walk down the mountain. We arrived at the gate where we met our guides and porters and we dropped off our bags for the porters to carry. Our food, water, tents and bags would all be carried by the porters, and our guides would walk with us and set the pace - we were all surprised how slow it was! They looked after us very well; they put up our tents, cooked us three course meals for each mealtime, provided us with hot washing water and by the end of the trip they had become our friends. We would sometimes gather to sing songs during which they would teach us Tanzanian songs and we would sing English songs back to them which was a lot of fun. Personally I was surprised by how flat the first few days of walking were, but the closer we got to the summit, the steeper and harder the walking became. On summit day we arrived at camp early in the afternoon and slept, had some dinner, went back to sleep to be woken up at 11pm. From then we would start walking up the summit. It was very cold, so much so that our water froze, and it was very steep but the guides were fantastic; they would feed us, carry our dag bags - one guide even gave me a massage! Everyone did incredibly well and dug deep and when we reached the top we couldn’t believe it and there were lots of tears! After having our photo at the Uhuru Peak sign we started our descent back to base

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PROJECT We were met by the head teacher of the school we would be working at, early in the morning to discuss supplies we would need. We then headed out into Moshi to gather these supplies and then to the supermarket to get food for the next two days. We arrived at where we would be camping and then we headed to the school where we were greeted by the children and given a tour of all the classrooms. We taught the school children some English lessons including one on tenses. We also taught them some songs including Happy Birthday to sing to Hannah whilst we were there. Alongside teaching, we also painted some murals on the

camp. We slept here for three hours and then walked on for two hours to Millennium camp where we would spend the night. We had one last sing song with the porters and headed to bed. Then next day we continued walking down the mountain to the gate; this was very difficult considering how far we had walked and how tired we were but we made it! We then said goodbye to all the porters and guides and jumped on our safari jeeps.

crater for 7.30am. We saw giraffes, lions, elephants, buffalo, warthogs, zebras, hippos and lots of other animals, and it was incredible seeing them so close to us. After our lunch was disturbed by a charging elephant we got on the trucks and drove back to Moshi were we would spend an evening before heading to our project.

SAFARIWe arrived at the safari camp site early in the evening and put up our tents to find the campsite covered in biting ants, but we were delighted at the chance of having a shower, even if they were cold! After dinner we had a campfire where the leaders read out our anonymous letters to home which was a good way of everyone expressing how they were feeling about the trip. We then headed to bed as we would have an early morning! We got up to eat breakfast and arrived at Ngorogoro

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walls of the school - these not only looked great but acted as educational tools for the children. We said our goodbyes at the school and got on the bus for Moshi.

THE BEACHThe team got up early so that we could go souvenir shopping in Moshi as it would be our last opportunity. We then headed back to the hostel to get on our bus back to Dar es Salaam and the beach. Unfortunately, our bus got a puncture. The tyre was changed but then put back on too tight which meant we were very delayed; it began to feel like we had been on that bus forever! When we got to Dar es Salaam we got on the ferry to Kippepo, our beach resort. When we got there it was dark

GOING HOMEAfter a full English breakfast we packed our bags and went to the beach to make the most of the weather. We had some remaining group money and so bought group ice creams before heading onto the bus to the airport. We got a bit delayed as there was a problem with the ferry but we made it to the airport on time. We got our flight back to Dubai and in the airport we bought a much anticipated McDonalds before getting on our flight back to Heathrow. When we landed we got the mini-bus back to school where we were met by our parents who had put on a celebration to welcome us home!

I think I can speak on behalf of the whole team when I say this was one of the best experiences of our lives and one that we will not forget. So a huge thank you to everyone who helped us fundraise for the trip as well as our leaders, especially Miss Lynn!

so we pitched our tents and headed to bed. In the morning we had a much needed lie in! We got up for breakfast and then headed to the beach to sunbathe and relax. Some of the team left to go and buy fruit from the local market as we had previously not been allowed to eat it due to the water. We all loved being able to go swimming in the sea but a few team members got stung by jelly fish which put me off! One of the highlights of the relaxation phase was ‘Beach Olympics’ put on by the leaders where we competed in a number of events including ‘flip flop throwing’ and ‘shell scrambling’ and then, despite wearing clean clothes, we all got thrown into the sea! We had our final dinner where we talked about the funny moments and highlights from the trip and then the leaders presented us with our ‘awards’. After spending some more time on the beach, we then returned to our beach huts which we had upgraded to for our final night and headed to bed.


The SPACe

In the meantime, the girls are getting involved in the construction process, with escorted tours around the building site. They are able to see first-hand how the building is progressing and ask detailed questions of the Site Manager about the construction processes. Donning boots, hi-vis jackets and hardhats is great fun and it is really exciting for the girls to be able to see the building going up around them – literally!

THE SQUIRE PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE - OPENING AUTUMN 2016!

Construction on our new 345 seat performing arts centre is well under way. In less than a year, the foundations have been dug, concrete poured and a huge steel structure erected and now we have bricks and mortar. Due for completion in autumn this year, we are thrilled with the progress that is being made as our vision becomes reality!

The SPACe is designed as a professional theatre and when complete we will use this fantastic new resource to expand and enhance the current programme on offer to our girls. We are creating a fully flexible space dedicated to rehearsal and performance that will also offer the opportunity for pupils to acquire valuable backstage skills in lighting, sound, theatre production and box office. At the same time the SPACe will create wonderful opportunities to work with partners in local arts organisations, other schools and local groups, thus widening access to the arts for our girls and placing NGHS at the hub of a vibrant arts community.

The GDST are supporting this multi-million pound project for the school, but NGHS has been tasked with raising £1.5m towards the build costs. With the generous support of our ‘Raise the Curtain’ Development Board, alumnae, parents, girls and friends of NGHS we have raised over £1.4m to date! A huge ‘thank you’ to all of you who have supported our fundraising campaign and got us to this point. There is still a chance to get involved by supporting our Donor Tree.

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Leaf type Bronze £150

Silver £300

Gold £450

Gold Super-leaf £10,000

Add an extra 25% to your gift, at no extra cost to you!

Our lovely catering staff got together and bought a bronze leaf.

How do I buy a leaf on the tree?

Decide on the colour of your leaf, then click on the Performing Arts tab on our website www.nottinghamgirlshigh.gdst.net. Follow the link to the Donor Tree and complete the online form - don’t forget to tick the Gift Aid box to maximize your donation! Once you have made your donation, we will contact you to discuss what you would like engraved on your leaf.

Thank you for your support.

HOW CAN WE RAISE £100,000 AND REACH OUR FUNDRAISING TARGET?Support the Donor Tree!

Join many other alumnae, parents, girls and friends of the school and buy a leaf on the tree.

Not only will it create a stunning piece of artwork in the new Performing Arts Centre when it is built, but the donor tree has fantastic potential to raise the £100,000 we need to reach our fundraising target of £1.5m.

Alumnae have been very keen to get involved by buying a leaf on our beautiful donor tree. The leaves celebrate their time at NGHS, or are donated in the memory of a loved one. We also have groups of former classmates getting together, such as the ‘O Level Group of 1986’ who now have a lovely inscribed silver leaf on the tree. The leaves are all engraved and displayed on the donor tree in perpetuity - a lasting testament to the generosity of all our supporters. The donor tree will take pride of place in the new Performing Arts Centre when it has been completed.

If you would like to support the donor tree, either as an individual or as a group, there are three different leaves to choose from:


Alumnae EventsREUNION ACROSS THE DECADES - SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER 201575 alumnae and former staff joined us on a wet and windy Saturday in November for a reunion event. With leavers from the 1940s up to the 1990s, it was great to see so many people back at the school, and the horrid weather didn’t put a dampener on the occasion. The catering team served a delicious lunch, after which everyone had the opportunity to have a tour of the school. These were led by some of our current Sixth Form students and were a good chance to reminisce and compare school stories. After the tours, tea and coffee was served in the Hall and our archive displays were a source of much amusement, delight, horror and nostalgia!

A big thank you to everyone who came along.

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Save the DatesSATURDAY 7 MAY 2016

CELEBRATING 140 YEARS Join us for an afternoon at NGHS as we hold a reunion event to celebrate our 140th anniversary year - pioneering girls’ education since 1875!

It promises to be a fun filled afternoon including a buffet lunch in the Dining Hall, student led tours of the school, an archive exhibition, live music and a celebratory afternoon tea served in the Senior Hall. All alumnae and former staff are welcome, and we hope that lots of you will be able to join us to celebrate this happy occasion.

Booking is required for the event, and an invitation is included with the magazine. Just complete the booking form, return it to us at the address provided and make your payment to reserve your place. We hope to see lots of you there!

SATURDAY 2 JULY 2016 NGHS ARTS FEST

We’re planning an exciting Arts Festival to celebrate our 140th anniversary! It will be an occasion for all the family to enjoy, including art and design, music, dance, arts and crafts and much more - there will be something for everyone and we hope that you will be able to join us. More details to follow.

We’d be keen to hear from any alumnae who would like to be involved - perhaps you run an art, design or craft business and would like to have a stall; maybe you have a musical talent and would like to perform - even get your former school band back together! Get in touch with us at [email protected] for further details.


CLASS OF 1974 - REUNIONMessage from Susanna Zabulis (neé White), and Anne Murphy (neé Taylor):

TO ALL NOTTINGHAM GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL LEAVERS OF 1974 - and that includes those who didn’t actually stay until the end, but would have taken A Levels in that year! You are invited to a party to celebrate the 60th birthdays of everybody in our school year.

When: Saturday 7 May 2016, 7.30pm

Where: Best Western Westminster Hotel, 312 Mansfield Road, Nottingham NG5 2EF.

What's planned: a buffet meal, plus bar, in the hotel’s Cromwell Suite. Vegetarian and gluten free options will be available; a sample menu is available if anyone would like to see it in advance.

Cost: £10.95 per person.

To book your place, please contact one of the organisers: Susanna Zabulis on [email protected] or via Facebook; Anne Murphy on 07999 577620.

If you decide to stay overnight at the Westminster Hotel, we have negotiated a special rate for bed and breakfast: single £50, standard £70, executive £100. Contact the hotel on 0115 955 5000 and quote “GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL REUNION” to get the discounted rate. Early booking is recommended as they are always full on Saturday nights!

By happy coincidence, NGHS is celebrating its 140th anniversary this school year, and their reunion event will also be on that day. Therefore it will be possible, for those with the stamina, to enjoy everything that’s on offer at school and later have a jolly evening at the Westminster Hotel!

CLASS OF 1996 - REUNIONAttention all Class of 1996 alumnae!!

Come and join us at NGHS on Saturday 7 May 2016 to celebrate your 20th anniversary of leaving school! It will be a great opportunity to catch up with your former classmates, reminisce about your NGHS days and have a good look around the school - including all of the out of bounds areas!

To book your place at the event, just complete the booking form on the invitation, return it and make your payment as instructed. We'll then be in touch with confirmation and further details nearer to the time.

Spread the word to your fellow alumnae, save the date, and come along!

Reunion EventsWe hold reunion events at NGHS in the Spring and Autumn. All alumnae who are on our mailing list are sent invitations to the events, along with Connect magazine. The reunions aren't year group specific, but if you are interested in getting your former classmates together, perhaps to celebrate a particular birthday or anniversary of leaving school, we can certainly accommodate big groups at these events, and we're very happy to help you arrange your party! Contact Laura McAdam at [email protected] for any enquiries.

We need your help!

There are many alumnae with whom we have lost touch, and we are keen to re-engage and communicate with as many alumnae as possible. If you have friends who do not hear from us, please encourage them to contact us with their details so that we can add them to our mailing list.

We want Connect to be a vibrant magazine, reflecting all of the amazing things that our alumnae are involved in, but we cannot do this without YOUR help - we need your stories!

Share memories from your time at NGHS; tell us about your career and how you got there; share your experiences of university, placement year or internship; tell us about working, travelling or volunteering overseas....whatever you want to write about, we'd love to hear from you!

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In Memoriam

MISS MARY BARNARD 7 JULY 1918 - 9 NOVEMBER 2015

was still playing golf three times a week into her nineties. She took up Geology classes after retiring and went on some amazing field trips, to the Pyrenees, the Rockies and Hawaii to name but three. A photo on the front cover of the Field Studies Centre magazine the year Mary turned 70 shows her jumping a fast flowing stream with only slight assistance from one of the guides. On her visits to me in London we would invariably head into town to see the sights. Her grey hair always got us to the front of the queue, although she could out-distance me any time. Her love of children meant that she would stop to admire every baby and talk to every toddler we passed, much to the bemusement of the locals (Londoners not being famous for talking to strangers).

Unfortunately, just before her 96th birthday, Mary fell and broke her hip. This led to her leaving her much-loved home in Bramcote and going into a care home. Although she was very well looked after she always pined for home. Sadly this year she became very frail and died peacefully on 9th November 2015. I and all her nephews and nieces will miss her terribly.

Christine Barnard

MISS MARY ASHWORTH 21 MARCH 1925 - 4 AUGUST 2015Miss Mary Ashworth sadly passed away at the age of 90 on 4 August 2015.

Mary taught Chemistry at NGHS and was Deputy Head until she left in 1960, to take up a Headship at Hatfield Girls' Grammar School in Hertfordshire, where she remained until her retirement in 1984.

Many NGHS alumnae will remember Miss Barnard, who has died aged 97.

Miss Barnard came to NGHS as Head of the Prep in 1953, going on to become Head of the Junior School until her retirement in 1980. I know that she influenced several generations of pupils. Head teacher (Miss Lewenz) wrote in the 1980 school magazine that Miss Barnard was "a genius for creating a happy atmosphere", and described her “quiet and calm cheerfulness, the warmth of her concern, and her gentle firmness with the wayward.”

As Miss Barnard’s niece, I knew her simply as Aunt Mary. I got to know her well only after she retired, and was always impressed by her sense of humour and adventure. She thought nothing of driving from Nottingham to her home town of Tunbridge Wells into her late eighties, and


My Experience in PoliticsElainE Bagshaw (2002)

It is 97 years since the first women won the right to vote in the UK, and 2016 will be the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Fawcett Society, yet only 66% percent of women voted in this year’s general election, (just 44% of women aged 18-24 cast a ballot) and still just 29% of MPs are women.

I wanted to write about my experience in politics to encourage current NGHS women and alumnae to dive into a field that desperately needs more women to have a voice and in doing so change how the world works. I hope this inspires you to get involved and shows that it can be fun and have a great impact on you and the world around you.

POLITICS IS EVERYTHING, AND EVERYTHING IS POLITICSYou may not think it but that statement is incredibly true. During my time at NGHS debates raged about whether we should be allowed to wear trousers (brought in) and questions asked about why we couldn’t play rugby but the boys' school could. I didn’t realise it at the time but these were all political debates - from us as young women being able to choose how we dress to a system that said we couldn’t be insured for rugby because we were more likely to be injured than boys (hockey was absolutely fine though!).

I wanted to write about my experience because I’ve often found that many people perceive politics as irrelevant and a man’s domain. Yet politics is one of the most powerful levers that exists to create change in the world around us.

It was when I got to university that I found my voice and my party and joined the Liberal Democrats. I understand you may not agree with my politics, so focus on the experiences! I’ve had some amazing experiences as a member, from meeting my closest friends, to standing for office, seeing policy I’ve supported

turn into Government legislation, to meeting John Cleese and Richard Reed the founder of Innocent. Here are some of my highlights from the last ten years.

LIBERAL YOUTHAfter running my University branch of the party, I was elected to Chair the National Youth and Student wing in 2008 and did this until 2010. I got to run and co-ordinate our national freshers campaigns, including design; distribution logistics; budget management and team motivation, all skills which I’ve used in my project and people management career since then. The role gave me the opportunity to work on the party’s 2010 manifesto alongside Danny Alexander and Vince Cable, which then became the foundation of the coalition government’s work.

One of my proudest moments so far is when the income tax threshold was increased to £10,000 in the last Government. This was the first thing I ever spoke on at party conference, and it went on to be one of the pillars of the coalition government. It meant that thousands of low-paid people were taken out of paying tax, and people had more money in their pockets. Regardless of whether you agree with the policy, it shows how you can have a huge effect on individual people by standing up for what you believe in.

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STANDING FOR OFFICE This year’s general election was the first where I was a candidate as well as a campaigner. Whilst party leaders are put under an intense spotlight that puts a lot of people off, many of us don't have that experience. You spend time getting to meet people all over your community who have had amazing experiences. Once you get through your first hustings you realise that you're capable of pretty much anything. Which is partly why I did it again immediately afterwards! In June I stood in a by-election to be Mayor of Tower Hamlets, and in May next year I’ll be fighting for a spot on the Greater London Assembly. The people I’ve met during elections have been the highlight. One group I met, and now support, is the Docklands Victims Association, who are still fighting for compensation from the Libyan Government after the IRA bombing of the Docklands in 1996. The work I’ve done with the group has led to a Parliamentary enquiry into why they haven’t received support, which will hopefully lead to a change in the current approach.

People often think maintaining a ‘normal’ career will conflict with a political one but I've actually found them to be hugely complimentary. Both of them challenge me and force me to grow. Politics has hugely improved my presentation and listening skills, both incredibly important in consulting. The nature and slog of campaigning means you build a better appreciation for your talents. You very quickly realise what you are good at, and (sometimes) that you are far better at it than your opponents!

BEING A WOMAN IN A MAN’S WORLDIt would be disingenuous if I didn’t touch on the fact that I am a minority in this game. Not just in the Lib Dems but across all parties and that lack of balance does have an impact. If you are high profile, you can find yourself under scrutiny for things that a man never would - from the shoes you’re wearing to how you’ve had your haircut. Those of us who are involved have incredible support structures, of both men and women, championing each other to succeed and sharing skills and ideas. In many ways, the situation isn’t hugely different from other industries, so I approach it in the same way I approach my day job and make sure I have good mentors and sponsors to help me build my skills and profile.

WHERE ARE THE REST OF YOU?I hope I've given some insight into how positive and rewarding a career in politics can be, at whichever level you choose to get involved. Many more women's voices are needed and here are just a few reasons why:

• We’re often impacted by cuts and don't even realise. Austerity policies are far more likely to impact women than men.

• Local government tends to be dominated by men, so when cuts need to be made it will often be things like women’s shelters and children’s centres that are up for the chop first. This (usually) isn’t due to deliberate sexism, it’s an unintended consequence of having decisions made by a group that lacks diversity.

• Tampons and sanitary towels are considered a luxury, so we have to pay VAT. Helicopters on the other hand are a necessity and exempt.

For a final sprinkling of inspiration, I’ll leave you with a quote from Malala Yousafzai, who has inspired me to keep fighting and campaigning:

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful’

Images provided by Chris Walts.


BACK IN THE SCHOOL GYM… FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF WORKOUT!I'm standing in the school gym, the polished wooden fl oor under my feet, the pommel horse behind me, the blue crash mats stacked in the corner... but rather than getti ng ready for a badminton class in 1995, the music starts and I’m well and truly in 2015 and starti ng an hour of Ballesti cs, a fantasti c class held at NGHS for anyone that fancies a new kind of workout that tones your core, builds stamina and is a hell of a lot of fun.

To be honest I was hesitant about writi ng this - Ballesti cs feels like a wonderful secret that only the current students know about. But our instructor is fantasti c; working hard bringing us new choreography and a constant enthusiasm delivered with enviable coolness. He deserves recogniti on for a new style of dance fi tness that really works, so it’s only right to share it with you all.

We’re a mixed bunch - all ages, all shapes and all abiliti es - but everyone works hard and has fun. Personally I’m a dance geek - ballet classes

Ballestics EliZaBETh JacQuEs (harTlEy, 1997)

unti l I was in my teens and when no one’s looking I can sti ll be found spinning round the house or even the offi ce, parti cularly when a Ballesti cs track comes on the radio. (A few glasses of Prosecco in, I’m also the fi rst on the dance fl oor on a night out!) Ballesti cs is a great way to let off some of that dance steam. I fi nd it so novel being back in the old school gym and it’s great to have so much space to do the energeti c moves incorporated in our routi nes.

I’m not the only ‘old girl’ that att ends. Loren joined the class a few months ago and quickly became a devotee:

"Ballesti cs has really helped me to keep fi t (and lose a bit of weight) but in a really fun way. I always hated the gym so needed a class that I would enjoy and therefore be moti vated to go to - Ballesti cs is just that! You don't need a dance background, all levels are welcome, which is what encouraged me to go. I even bring my Mum along! Jamie is a great instructor, really enthusiasti c and passionate, I would recommend the class to anyone who might be bored with their usual fi tness routi ne." Loren Aspell, NGHS 2000 - 2005

Rather than write endlessly about how wonderful the class is I thought you would prefer to hear from the teacher direct, so I asked Jamie to tell us more:

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fantastic work out and the first class is only £1! We hope to see you soon!

BALLESTICS TIMETABLEMonday @ NGHS 7.00pm - 8.00pm Wednesday @ NGHS 7.30pm - 8.30pm

FROM JANUARY 2016Thursday @ Signature Dance Studios, NG1 5FX 10.00am - 11.00am and 1.00pm - 1.45pm

Saturday @ NGHS 11.30am - 12.30pm

Day to be confirmed @ The Emmanuel School, Gresham Park Road, West Bridgford, NG2 7YF

Book on to a class by emailing [email protected]. You can find out more information about Ballestics in Nottingham and around the country at www.Ballestics.com.

JAMIE THOMSON Ballestics was born from an idea that I had whilst delivering one of my modern ballet classes a few years ago. I wanted to get more people excited about ballet. If only people could feel how exciting and energetic it is, the physical and psychological benefits it gives, they’d simply love it.

So I started to create a class that used the basic elements of ballet to shape something that everyone could engage with. It produced an uplifting workout that not only worked up a sweat but that also had an explosive grace unlike any other dance workout. Ballestics was born!

Unlike a formal ballet class there's no stopping and starting. You learn the steps as you dance them, allowing you the chance to work up a sweat and get your heart pumping. The basic ballet moves like plie (bend), tendu (stretch), jete (jump), port de bras (movement of the arms), give your muscles a full-body workout that'll help you lengthen your body and tone everything up. Each track is specially choreographed and like any good workout has lots of repetition, giving you the chance to master the moves whilst giving your muscles the workout they need. Set to a pop soundtrack you'll instantly recognise, you'll stretch, bend and soar your way to a stronger, healthier, happier you.

So if you were a budding dancer and still fondly remember Mrs Higgins instructing us to "sparkle", or you just want to try a new fitness class to get in shape, then come and try Ballestics. You will get a warm welcome, a


In the Upper Sixth I entered the Veronica Davies Humorous Writing Competition for my final chance of comic-creative-writing stardom at NGHS. Every previous year I’d put massive effort into writing the most 'hilarious' stories, to no avail; that year I spent ten minutes writing my last entry with a resigned sigh, and of course, that was the year I was runner-up!

No promises of a humorous tale then. I’ll start with the ‘ending’ so far: I am grateful and lucky to be here alive today writing this. I’ve struggled with ongoing depression and anxiety for the last twenty years. Some days are about ‘just’ surviving another day. Now, I’m speaking out to challenge mental health stigma. This is my 'life after NGHS' story.

My Life So Far: Redefining Resilience

JEssica carmody (hardiman, 1998)

On A Level results day I wasn’t on the cover of the Telegraph leaping and screaming in hysterical joy; I was incredibly anxious. I had chosen to take a gap year as I didn’t have the predicted grades I needed. I walked into the hall, eyes on the floor to avoid making eye contact with my teachers, in case my results were printed on their faces as well as on the paper in the envelope. I walked outside, eyes still on the floor, to open it privately.

I found school tough. I was bullied a few times, had asthma and therefore frequent time off, and shied away from working too hard for fear of being pushed while already struggling. I virtually never did games because of my asthma. (Mrs Skinner once called me "a very pleasing spectator" in my report!) I now know that I almost certainly had depression and anxiety even at 14, but back then I just felt ashamed that I couldn’t make myself work or go to school.

The envelope contained news that I’d got the grades I needed to apply to Oxford to read Classics. That day in August the rest of my life began. I’m grateful to NGHS for providing me with the chance to study with such brilliant peers. I wouldn’t have got to Oxford without them and some very inspiring teachers.

I worked very hard at Oxford, pushing myself academically and as a choral scholar, and made amazing friends. However, in the second year I felt I wasn’t reaching the standards required, and definitely not the standards I’d set for myself. By the second or third week of my second year at University College I developed a dreadful fever I couldn’t shake, headaches and endless lethargy. I got on a bus back to Nottingham, unable even to buy my bus ticket without crying exhausted tears just at the effort of remaining upright. I took time off and

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eventually had to take a year off to recover. After a month in bed when even Richard and Judy was too stressful to watch, I finally knew something else - not physical - was wrong, and started seeing a counsellor.

I recovered enough to finish my degree with a decent 2:1 and move to London to start the next phase: life. It wasn’t plain sailing. I lost a close friend to cancer just after leaving university, was bullied in a job I left soon after starting, got another, had family illness, met a lovely man who is now my lovely husband and I eventually won a place on the Teach First programme.

All of these events affected my mental health, and therapy and medication have accompanied me through the years. I didn’t want depression to stop me though, and continued to take on professional and personal challenges. After three years at Teach First I joined Accenture as a management consultant in Change and IT Strategy in the UK and New York and finally, last year, I came back to the UK and joined KPMG.

After being bullied by two non-KPMG people on a project in 2014, which brought up traumatic memories of the past, I chose to receive inpatient hospital treatment for my depression lest I risk harming myself by continuing in a toxic situation. This was the lowest point in my depression and I knew things had to change for me to keep living.

After hospital I realised that I had hardly ever been really open about my depression; I’ve hidden it behind my ever-smiley face, dry and silly sense of humour and work ethic. But hiding it was harming me: I was shaming myself and believing I was ‘weak’ or not good enough because of my illness.

I started volunteering for Mind charity (speaking on the BBC, writing for Grazia and Buzzfeed) to share my story. I blog and tweet about my mental health each week (www.haslaptopwilltravel.blogspot.com @volette) and help run our KPMG mental health network, Be Mindful.

I’m amazed and delighted to have been recognised by Brummell magazine as one of the 30 most inspirational city women championing diversity, and have been highly commended for my advocacy in the 2015 Woman of the Future awards in the Community Spirits category.

I’ve now launched my own mental health awareness campaign called Redefining Resilience, to challenge perceptions that people cannot manage mental illness and be successful. My goal for the next two years is to reach 100 organisations with my campaign so that more people have conversations about mental health and feel deserving of asking for help.

I’m also still ambitious professionally and am excited about helping to advise our KPMG clients on the most innovative and engaging ways to help their employees learn and develop as professionals.

Our mental health is getting worse. Suicide is the highest cause of death among men aged 20-49, and anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, from medical complications associated with the illness as well as suicide. Research has found that 20% of anorexia sufferers will die prematurely from their illness. Mental health is becoming a bigger and bigger problem so I’m determined to keep talking about it until discrimination and stigma disappear. Because, as Bill Clinton said: "Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all."


I enjoy the school's posts on Facebook and Twitter and it is extraordinary to reflect on my life since my time at NGHS in 1960.

I have just retired after 50 years of professional life as a physiotherapist and a life in and around the NHS in the UK and overseas.

I started NGHS in the L3 year, finally leaving school in 1960. At school the only thing I was noted for was wielding a hockey stick quite well. Miss Margaret Glossop, ex England player, and then Miss Biddy Burgum, also an England player, were encouraging. I was Captain of hockey for my two Sixth Form years and also a County hockey player. In those days there was no formal structure of development as England hockey now has. No Hipac, no JRPC, no Futures Cup - all of which one of my granddaughters has had the benefit of experiencing. However Biddy Burgum also played for a good Notts ladies team, the Granny Knots, and always took some juniors with her to a big hockey festival in Ramsgate. There we had the benefit of playing with senior players of good ability and exposure to matches versus USA and Holland to name a few. My sister in law to be at that time, Brenda Wadsworth, was Captain of netball but also played with me at hockey and came to Ramsgate too. I wonder if NGHS still

NGHS to Retirementsusan Thomas (Taylor, 1952 - 1960)

play NHS at hockey as Brenda and I did? I also loved athletics and competed with Notts AC at County, Midland and other championships.

I enjoyed my Sixth Form, I relished the privacy of the Prefects’ loft over in Derwent House, and I enjoyed being able to walk in the Arboretum at lunch times. Our Head Girl was Sue Smith and her deputy was Margaret Moody. However, the focus of my life was to get some way of making a living. My physics A Level was a bit ropey but chemistry and biology not so bad. I didn’t get my place to do medicine and my father suggested I found out about physiotherapy as a career.

How different applications were in those days. Nowadays, 3 As at A Level are sometimes required. However at this time in 1959/60, I applied to all the big hospitals in London - there were few regional training institutions in those days, for example Nottingham School of Physiotherapy did not exist. St Thomas’, St Mary’s, Kings College and The Middlesex Hospitals all said yes to me, and I later found that very few of my peers had done A Levels. I opted to take up the place at The Middlesex Hospital, situated behind Oxford Street. My parents thought I would be able to get to St Pancras and home more easily, and they were demolishing St Thomas’. Kings and Mary’s were not in a salubrious area of London in those days either.

Notts Senior County Hockey Team, 1959

U15 Netball Team, 1956

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My father felt I needed another skill as well, and I opted for the Spring Intake and went off to do a Secretarial course at Clarendon College in Nottingham. Interestingly key board skills have never been lost to me but shorthand was not my thing and not helped by having appendicitis and missing half the term.

So off I went to the Middlesex Hospital and had a residential place in Marlborough Court in Lancaster Gate. What a contrast to today’s student accommodation. We had a butler called James and we all had telephones in our rooms, we ate in a very smart dining room and relaxed in a beautiful lounge with a grand piano, overlooking Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. No outside visitors were allowed in the bedrooms, and special notification had to be given if we were to be late home in the evening.

I loved my time at The Middlesex. It was one of the smart London hospitals, although it is now demolished and part of University College Hospital, and we had many famous faces in the Private Wing - Hugh Gaitskell died there, and Winston Churchill was a patient. The nurses were high class and not allowed to fraternise with medical students, so when it came to the infamous Christmas concerts, physiotherapists could join in - Gilbert and Sullivan choral works were part of the fun. Indeed a terrific training and very disciplined. We were called by our

surnames; every morning we filed through the Head’s office where we said, “Good morning Miss Duffield” and were greeted with “Good Morning Miss Taylor” and we were allowed to pass on. Woe betide you if your uniform was too short, your hair bedraggled or you were sporting jewellery and were asked to stay behind!

I graduated in 1964 with most of my colleagues and we have remained in contact to this day.

What next? I applied for and was successful in getting a job at Nottingham General Hospital (no Queens Medical Centre in those days).

This was totally different to a junior job in 2015. I found that London experience was more extensive than Nottingham; no one in Nottingham had come across patients in an iron lung, so when one appeared in Nottingham I found no other physiotherapists on the staff had come across it. How well I remember my on call night duty with one particular patient.

By the end of my first year I had married and carried on working at the Cedars Rehabilitation Home on Mansfield Road plus on call back at The General base. There was much less orthopaedic surgery in the case of trauma in those days and wards were full of young men in traction who had come off their motor bikes.

The next phase of my working life was varied by the arrival of three sons. Incidentally there was no maternity leave package in those days you just left your job and reapplied when home duties allowed. I experienced such discrimination in those days, part time was a non-existent status for a physiotherapist. So I joined up with the Red Cross in Leicestershire and as a physiotherapist and a lifelong horse rider and instructor, we started the first group of the Riding for the Disabled in Leicestershire.

As my children got older I decided to try and break down the barrier of working part time and non-existent job shares. Only one hospital physiotherapy boss offered me a job and that was in Oakham. Some years there allowed me to bring up my children but also refresh my skills and begin to build my burgeoning interest in the role of the physiotherapist in acute medicine. My forward thinking boss at that time is now 88 and still a close friend.

When my youngest son attained the age of 11, I applied for a full time job and started back at

Susan in the Lower Sixth


the bottom of the grades at Leicester General Hospital. Progress was fairly rapid thanks to others on maternity leave, and I became more and more experienced in all areas of physiotherapy. With my interest in respiratory care I headed up the physiotherapy team in intensive care.

My next passion was developing others in their careers and in particular supporting those who wished to work part time. I became the Head of Physiotherapy in Grantham and consolidated a lot of my managerial skills. In addition I developed links with the Nottingham School of Physiotherapy and developed student placements. I also had the opportunity to do a locum job in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Primarily this was to visit one of my brothers, who was a medic out there, and his wife, Brenda. Visitors to Saudi were limited but professionals could go. I worked in the desert outside Riyadh and had a day with my brother and family at the weekend. What a different culture - my first patient had been kicked by a camel, and work was through a Philippino interpreter. Fascinating.

Further progress up the ladder saw me working as Head of Physiotherapy in Stoke on Trent and then back as Head of Physiotherapy at Leicester General Hospital. An inspiring Chief Executive encouraged me to move across to more General NHS management and so I completed a Master’s Degree and headed up the Quality Department, focusing on the Patient Experience in clinical planning and evaluation and audit. I also had the opportunity to forge more physiotherapy student links with a hospital in Eindhoven, Holland, and sharing general management experience in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Having reached my first chance contractually at retirement, I fully intended to go back to a less demanding clinical role, but within a few weeks I was asked to lead a number of projects focusing on education and multi professional development based out of the Regional Office in Sheffield. At the same time I was approached to consider being a Non Executive Director at Leicestershire Health Authority and Vice Chairman. I took both opportunities.

Yet another NHS change in Government terms, and I decided I wanted to get back to my roots of Physiotherapy and then worked for 12 years for my Regulatory Body, the Health

and Care Professions Council. Here I worked part time in two roles; the first a Registration Assessor of assessing applicants to go on the Register to consider their eligibility to work in UK. This involved looking at their individual course of study in the country of their training and, working with a colleague, we would recommend whether they could be on the register or not. At the time the EEA rules meant that anyone who called themselves a physiotherapist in their country of training had a ‘right to practice’, and we could only recommend a period of adaptation should they fall short of the standard, although non EEA applicants could be rejected. I also sat on Panels looking at Fitness to Practice and Conduct and Competence, with a number of sanctions available to us including striking their names from the Register. All panels are held in public in a judicial framework with barristers for defence and prosecution, and our panel of three (only one physiotherapist) would then make a judgement.

I found myself in 2014, 50 years since I had qualified, a little weary of travelling to the parts of the UK where hearings were held - Glasgow, Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff and of course mainly to London. Now one year on, I can no longer say I am a physiotherapist - I can no longer work as a physiotherapist. As a non-registered person, the public would have no protection from my intervention were it to be at fault.

I know today the profession has moved on so dramatically, but I would never like to be without the knowledge I have, and the remaining ability and interest I have, in clinically reasoning the dwindling knowledge when I have to consider what will happen next to my elderly body.

I do hope NGHS continues to encourage pupils into this special profession.

Susan Thomas (neé Taylor) 1952 - 1960 MSc MCSP

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NGHS Celebrates 140 Years Pioneering

Girls’ EducationSOLID FOUNDATIONSNottingham Girls’ High School is marking its 140th anniversary, celebrating its impressive history and promising future. A year of festivities is planned which began with the school’s annual Celebration and Awards Evening at Nottingham’s Albert Hall, an event which recognised the incredible academic achievements, sporting success and community service of its GCSE and A Level students.

Before the 1870s, when the school was established on Oxford Street, schooling for girls was predominantly fixed by social class and there were limited opportunities for working class girls to receive an education past their primary school years. In 1871, Maria Grey, an educationalist and writer, proposed the creation of a national movement which would promote women’s education, demanding that girls should have access to schools that would be places “not only of instruction but of education in the full sense of the word”.

The proposal led to the formation of what is now The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), the

UK’s leading network of 24 independent girls’ schools and two academies across the UK. Nottingham Girls’ High School was the sixth of these schools to be founded in 1875, with just 34 students. Now, it has a student body of over 900, the largest in the GDST, and is Nottingham’s only independent day school for girls aged from four to 18.

PIONEERING HERITAGESearching through the archives, the school’s history is peppered with moments that broke with tradition and the stereotypes of the times, paving the way for girls to gain greater equality with their male counterparts.

In 1881 the school established a football club for its students which provoked much debate about its suitability. Some felt that football was ‘too dangerous for young girls’ and frowned on them ‘imitating the pursuits of men’. The school stood by its decision however and the football club remained a popular activity amongst its students.

In 1888, a gymnasium was built after students petitioned for the same standard of physical education as boys, publishing this excerpt in a school newspaper: “It has been allowed at length that a girl may distinguish herself in Mathematics as well as a boy…but it is not yet allowed that rowing is as fit and proper an exercise for a woman…but women can row and girls ought to have gymnastics”.

Strides were also taken in the sciences. The first purpose built laboratory was constructed at the school in 1899, with chemical working benches to accommodate nearly 30 pupils, a fume cupboard, a muffle furnace and “all that the scientific heart can desire”. Student Mary Browning, eventually went on to become the first woman in England to obtain a Doctorate in Physics at London University in 1922.

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 inevitably meant that school activities gave way to war work of various kinds. The school staff also dedicated their service to the war effort, including French Mistress, Miss Margaret McFie, who lent her service in 1915. Margaret spent the war years at St Dunstan’s, and then in Serbia, Corsica and Bizerta - she was one of very few women to be decorated with the Order of the White Eagle, a wartime merit, for her work in Serbia.

In 1922 the school opened its doors to girls from state primary schools in the form of scholarships. At the same time, it introduced a mandatory school uniform so that there could be no distinction of wealth amongst students.

The threat of war in September 1939 meant the school, which had been commandeered by the Army, needed to relocate from its home in Arboretum Street to emergency accommodation in Ramsdale Park. The war years form a distinct chapter in the school history, and with quite extraordinary speed the school adapted to its new way of life.

The Education Act of 1944 marks an important landmark in the history of the school. The Junior School with its 22 sister GDST schools was still recognised for Direct Grant and eventually, the three local authorities funded 50% of the total number of places. The O Level, which replaced the old School Certificate, led to greater flexibility in Sixth Form courses and the enormously increased grant for further education and the number of State Scholarships had a big impact on senior students.

In 1945, the School’s seventieth birthday was celebrated with a series of parties and the performance of the staff play ‘The Rose and the Ring’.

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In 1975 the school launched its Centenary Appeal to mark its 100th anniversary. The aim was to raise £150,000 for bursaries to be awarded to girls based on academic merit and their financial need. The amount was reached within the year, and by 1978 the Appeal had amassed over £163,000 - helping 16 local girls to secure a place at the school which otherwise wouldn’t have been available to them. The bursary programme is still in place at the school today, and has supported dozens of students over the years.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITY140 years on, with Head Sue Gorham at the helm, Nottingham Girls’ High School encourages the same enterprising spirit and can-do attitude in its students, investing in innovative new facilities and breaking gender stereotypes wherever it can.

Upnah Wood was created for students - a specialised outdoor learning area which features a climbing wall, low rope course and fire pit where the girls are taught bush craft and team building skills.

Construction also began in March on the schools £9m performing arts centre - The Squire Performing Arts Centre (The SPACe). Due for completion in 2016, the state-of-the-art building has been purposefully designed to widen access to the arts and to develop community led projects.

As well as performance facilities for the whole community, The SPACe will be used to give Nottingham Girls’ High School students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, learning the skills of professional theatre technicians such as lighting, sound recording, box office and back stage.

With a firm foothold in the city, a passionate ethos at its heart of providing dedicated girls education, and a long history demonstrating the opportunities it can provide for girls across Nottingham, the next 140 years look set to be as promising as the last.


INSPIRATIONAL ALUMNAEAs a GDST school, students at Nottingham Girls’ High School have access to an established network of over 65,000 female role models to tap in to opportunities and share expertise. Notable GDST Alumnae include recognisable figures such as Mary Berry, Dr Miriam Stoppard and Emma Bridgewater.

Former students of Nottingham Girls’ High School include figures such as Dame Stella Rimington, who attended the school between 1946 - 1953. Dame Stella joined MI5 in 1969, working in a number of roles including counter-subversion and counter-terrorism, before becoming the first woman ever to be promoted to the rank of Director General in 1992.

influential people working in theatre and the performing arts, for seven consecutive record-breaking years.

Alexandra King who left the school in 2004 is a television producer and reporter at United Nations Television in New York. Her stories are broadcast worldwide to hundreds of media outlets including BBC World, CNN International, and MTV.

Under her management, the Service led the fight against Irish republican terrorism and a policy of greater public openness was established. Since retiring from MI5 in 1996, Dame Stella became a best-selling author and has published a number of novels set in the world of intelligence and counter-terrorism.

Rosemary Squire OBE, a Nottingham Girls’ High School student between 1967 and 1974, developed a passion for the arts at school and went on to co-found the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the world’s number one live-theatre group. ATG has 45 venues in Britain, the USA and Australia, and is recognised as one of the most prolific international theatre producers.

Awarded an OBE in 2007 for Services to Theatre, Rosemary made history in 2014 by becoming the first woman ever to win the UK EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. Alongside her husband Sir Howard Panter, Rosemary has topped The Stage 100, a list of the most

Alexandra gathers UN stories and raw footage from the front lines of global conflict and crisis and delivers unbiased news coverage of them. In her career Alexandra has covered the crises in Libya and Syria, the conflict in Darfur and the humanitarian response to the tsunami in Japan, as well as interviewing Stevie Wonder, Gordon Brown and Bill Clinton.

Most recently, Alex became the first female video producer to accompany a UN General Secretary, which she did during a tour of Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia.

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TODAYToday, Nottingham Girls’ High School is the top school in Nottinghamshire for GCSE and A Level results. It continues to support girls through its successful Bursary Scheme, enabling bright girls to receive the best education possible; continuing what Maria Grey set out to achieve in 1871. Through its outreach programmes the school maintains its strong relationships with the local community, charities, businesses and schools - engaging with over 40 local Primary Schools in project-led activity days. Last year alone, its Sixth Form students logged over 5,000 hours of volunteer work and the school raised almost £15,000 for 17 local charities.

Designed and produced by Laura McAdam and Sarah White. Printed by iprint, Leicester www.iprintb1.co.uk

GDST Alumna of the Year

Award 2016DO YOU KNOW A GDST ALUMNA WHO DESERVES

RECOGNITION FOR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?:

Aiding or championing a charitable cause

Achieving outstanding academic or professional success

Helping drive environmental or social change

Being a pioneer or achieving success in a challenging field

Being an inspiration or role model to women or young people

Help us to celebrate the achievements of our alumnae! Visit www.gdst.net to nominate your GDST Alumna of the Year.

The deadline for nominations is midday 11 March 2016, and voting starts on 11 April - all alumnae, students and staff are invited to vote for who they would like to win!

Friends of NGHS brings together alumnae, parents and other friends of the school. Whether you join to make new contacts, build on existi ng relati onships or reconnect with old friends, we hope that Friends of NGHS will help you to stay involved in the life of the school.

• Stay connected

• Maintain close ti es with the school

• Parti cipate in school acti viti es and keep in touch

• Become well informed ambassadors for the school

• Enjoy business networking opportuniti es

• Socialise and have fun

Friends of NGHS...stay in touch, be involved

Part of the GDST network of schoolswww.gdst.net

Notti ngham Girls’ High School9 Arboretum Street, Notti ngham NG1 4JB

t: 0115 941 7663 [email protected] nghamgirlshigh.gdst.net

FriendsofNGHS@Nott mGirlsHigh

connect february 2016

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