It was wonderful to welcome back a great crowd of alumni, former staff and current long-standing staff for this year's Summer Supper Reunion on Friday 19 June.

Several guests arrived early for a tour of the campus led by Alumni Relations and Development Officer, Caroline Spencer. The group included two 1966 starters, Adrian Mulleady and David Jackson. Adrian was a Princethorpe Shield winner who has not been back to the College since he left, and David served as a trustee of the College for many years. Also touring were former St Mary's Priory pupils, or VSOPs (Very Special Old Princethorpians), Liz Hughes (née Brown), Mary Holgate (née Brown) and Jackie Ginn (née Hardy), and 1996 Leaver Paul Lamb.

All guests then gathered in the Quad for the Drinks Reception. Alumni from the classes of 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016 were returning to celebrate their respective 50th, 40th, 30th, 20th and 10th anniversaries of leaving, many having not been back to the College or seen each other since they left as pupils. Joining them in the revels were former and long-serving members of staff, as well as Tracey Hester who will be retiring at the end of this academic year.

Ed Hester was particularly delighted to see the Class of 2016, many of whom joined in the same year that Ed started and were in his daughter, Katherine's, year. After posing with them for a photo, he warmly welcomed the guests and took the opportunity to thank the OP community for helping to shape Princethorpe into what it is today, reminding us all of the lasting bond that we share as a Princethorpe family.

Once seated in the Refectory, Fr Alan Whelan MSC said Grace and the room filled with the hubbub of chatter and laughter as guests sat with peers from the same decade. Over a delicious three course meal, guests were guided on a trip down memory lane by a rolling slideshow of photos and articles, meticulously curated by our Archivist, Jo Wong. It featured images of many of the attendees, taken from year books, prize giving programmes and the College’s magazine, The Tower.

Before dessert, Headmaster Grove du Toit gave messages of thanks. Gifts were presented to long-standing members of staff, Anne Allen, Clare White, Lil Gane and Jess Newborough, with special mention to OPs Secretary, Melanie Butler, who has reached her 20 years of service milestone, and Fr Alan Whelan who has now been involved with the College for a remarkable 45 years. Tracey Hester was also presented with a bouquet of flowers and an Old Princethorpian pen to mark her retirement and admission into the Old Princethorpian Association. Grove finished by raising a toast to the alumni themselves - reiterating our commitment to them, and reminding them of the crucial role they play as part of the wider Foundation community.

As the supper came to a happy close, guests mingled and plans were made for keeping in touch in the future.

Thanks go to our wonderful catering and estates teams, the OPs Committee and all who contributed to the success of the event. To see the photos from the evening, sign up to Princethorpe Connect or log in to view this gallery.

We encourage you to get involved in OP activity, engage with Princethorpe Connect, and spread the word to encourage others to do the same. We are keen to keep the Princethorpe Spirit of Family alive and well for generations to come.

The next OP event to look forward to is the annual OPs vs College Friday Night Lights which takes place at the College on Friday 4 September from 4.30pm to 8.00pm. Please visit our events page, here, for more details.