It was wonderful to see, yet again, every decade of the College's history represented at this year's OPs Local Meet, along with former pupils, parents and staff (past and present) from across the Foundation. The Aviary Bar in Rugby was a fitting venue, its colourful, cosy and contemporary style perfectly reflecting the diverse crowd and convivial atmosphere.

What made it a particularly special occasion was that we welcomed both new and returning faces to this annual event. Former Princethorpe PTA Chairs, David and Jules Mold, were in high spirits as they returned with fellow regulars, Dave Hall and Mike Edwards, whilst Princethorpe Receptionist and OP, Katie Strange, came along for the first time along with Princethorpe peer, Dan Rajabali.

Similarly, 2024 leavers, George Wild and Amy Hogg, already establishing a habit of supporting OP events, returned to enjoy catching up with each other, whilst 2020 leaver, Toby Austin, boldly came alone to reconnect with the community and was rewarded by the surprise of reuniting with former classmate, Anthony Lock! It was encouraging to see the Local Meet achieving its purpose of bringing the whole Foundation community together and nurturing lasting relationships.

The event was supported by a great mix of Foundation Staff, including Ed and Tracey Hester and all three of their children, Princethorpe Headmaster, Grove du Toit, Crackley Hall Registrar, Jenny Vaughan (also an OP and former St Joseph's School alumna), and several Princethorpe teachers. The OP Committee was also out in force: Toni Reska (class of 1970), Peter Rollason (class of 1977), Melissa Symonds (class of 1990), Nick Brosnan (class of 1992), Tom Gleghorn (class of 2000), and Committee Chair, James Davies (class of 1997).

It was marvellous to see such a diverse crowd mingling together, and our thanks to the Aviary Bar for the excellent service and tasty buffet, which fuelled the conversation right up until closing time. They even went so far as to create a bespoke cocktail especially for the occasion, aptly named The Old Princethorpian, and not for the faint-hearted!

The next alumni event in the calendar is the St Joseph’s Day Mass at Crackley Hall School on Thursday 19 March, followed by the popular and family-friendly Bluebells and Brunch on Saturday 25 April at Princethorpe. Visit the Princethorpe Connect Events page for all details.

We hope you'll be able to join us at an OP event soon!