Welcome to LWC News
Dear Parents and Guardians,
And so we stand on the cusp of the last week of term!
Preparations are in full swing for our Carols and Christmas Market on Thursday and activity across the 1200 is far from slowing for the holidays.
This week has seen our students trying their hand at drone flying and robotics in school, being inspired by the collections at the V&A in London and taking a step back to King Henry Vlll’s time at Hampton Court Palace.
As for our sports teams…huge congratulations go to our Under 18A netballers, who are now in the final of the SnS Trophy South thanks to a convincing performance yesterday at Sutton Hall.
We really look forward to coming together as a community next week to round off another remarkable term at LWC.
Your comments and contributions to LWC News are always welcome via stories@lordwandsworth.org
Calendar & Sports Schedule
The school calendar can be viewed using the link below:
LWC CalendarThe school sports calendar can be viewed using the link below:
LWC Sports CalendarPlease view the Sports Weekly Schedule here:
Sports Weekly ScheduleHere’s a guide to required kit per sport:
LWC SPORTS KIT LIST
News
Six More Sleeps
It’s nearly time to put down the ‘to-do’ lists, navigate your way around the ever-growing pile of pine needles and make your way to the highlight of the LWC festive calendar.
Our Carols and Christmas Market gets underway next Thursday at 6pm, with tickets available here.
Carols will be accompanied by warming bowls of hot food, festive drinks, fireworks and a Christmas market featuring more than 40 local stallholders selling their artisan wares. A full list of stallholders can be found here.
On the evening, please enter via the Main Gates (RG29 1TA) and you will be directed to a car parking space from there.
A Special Showcase
Alongside stallholders from across our local area, there will be a strong contingent with connections to LWC.
The Friends of Lord Wandsworth College (FLWC) will be selling LWC gifts, the Charity Committee will be hosting a chocolate tombola and a group of 11 students from 2nd to 4th Form will be selling products as part of their entries into the Tycoon Enterprise Competition.
The competition is run by the Peter Jones Foundation (he of Dragon’s Den fame) and gives students the opportunity to start their own business, having written a plan and secured a small loan.
Watch for our teams on the night; Nitro Energy (selling protein bars and flapjacks), Flex Fuel (who will be offering pre-game packs), Home Décor (selling 3D printed plant pots and vases) and Revizen (showcasing their mindful revision packs).
LWC teacher of Business, Tom Batchelor added, “The competition develops a whole range of skills including problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.”
Sternian Presence
There will also be Sternian stallholders at the market.
Lottie Eastwood is the final seller to be showcased as part of our build-up to next Thursday.
Former LWC student, Lottie is now in her second year at UCA Farnham and will be offering her handmade Christmas tea light trees for sale.
“I’ve been running my business, Lottie Eastwood Ceramics for about a year,” she explains.
“I sell a variety of handmade ceramics work, a combination of bespoke items and personalised commissions outside of my current university studies. My tea light trees are my bestsellers.”
Lottie is looking forward to returning to LWC ahead of having secured a placement at the prestigious Massachusetts College of Art and Design, starting in January.
Netball Finalists…
The LWC U18A Netball Team put in a magnificent performance against Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital yesterday to make it through to the final of the SnS Trophy South.
This year is the first year that LWC has entered the competition.
Head of Girls’ Sport and Head of Netball, Poppy Lake added, “What an incredible display of netball from all players, in all positions on court.
The dedication and hard work the girls have put in all term is showing and they’re really coming together and gelling as a team. It’s amazing to watch.
Thank you to everyone who came along to support the girls, we’re so appreciative! We go again after Christmas in the final!”
Feast Fit for LWC
Did you know? Eating turkey at Christmas can be traced back to the 16th century. But it wasn’t until 1851, when it first appeared on the Royal Family’s dinner table that it really soared in popularity (at least, for those who could afford it).
Roast turkey takes centre stage in next Wednesday’s Student Christmas Lunch, when the Catering Team will be creating a feast fit for royalty in Julyans.
Alongside the festive staple (from Graves in Hook), there will be honey and cinnamon roasted butternut squash for just over seven hundred pupils in total.
Catering Manager, Iain Hedley says the highlight for him, is seeing LWC’s Senior Leadership Team serving the meals. “You will often see students digging each other in the ribs with amazement when they see Mr Rimmer in a Santa hat serving lunch,” he admitted.
“There is always a competitive edge to proceedings, with sprouts and gravy the first jobs to be snapped up!”
Gingerbread Heaven
Christmas lunch hasn’t been the only focus for the Catering Team this week.
Head Chef, Roger Cole has been working on the annual gingerbread house and this year, we think it’s his finest creation yet. This labour of love has taken around 50 hours to assemble and is full of Cadbury’s Heroes!
If you would like to win this incredible prize for your nominated House, please click here.
You can enter the draw for a small donation. All proceeds will also be given to the winning House to support their chosen charity. The draw closes this Wednesday (11th December). The winning House will receive their prize next Thursday (12th).
If you’d like to see the gingerbread house in all it’s glory, you can find it opposite Main Reception.
Bugsy
It’s 1920’s New York….rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan go head to head in an all-out war.
Called in to help is Bugsy Malone….but how does this all play out?
You can find out at The Haymarket in Basingstoke in January!
A limited number of tickets remain for Bugsy Malone via The Haymarket Box Office.
Performances will take place on Wednesday 22nd January at 7pm and Thursday 23rd January at 2pm and 7pm.
You can book here by selecting the date you wish to attend and clicking the tab, Book Now. Please add the promotion code LWCBUGSY25 in the box below the pricing information.
LWC students who book tickets through and attend with, their Boarding Houses won’t be charged. Otherwise, tickets are priced at £15 for adults and £5 for children.
There’ll be more on Bugsy in next week’s LWC News.
On Wilkinson Way
The LWC 1st XV had a memorable evening on Wednesday, when they took on Farnham Rugby Club to mark the start of a year of celebrations for Farnham’s 50th birthday.
LWC Head of Rugby, Lewis Starbuck reflected, “It was a brilliant night, celebrating the inaugural SC10 Shield in celebration of Jonny Wilkinson’s former school and club.
Both teams played excellent end-to-end rugby and displayed the core values of the game throughout the evening.
A huge thank you to premiership referee Adam Leal, who refereed the match and helped to create such a great atmosphere.
A wonderful message from Jonny Wilkinson himself topped off the night, which was definitely one to go down in LWC history.
Thanks to all the parents, students and staff who came to support on the night, we are so excited to compete again next year.”
Musical Highs
Last Friday’s Autumn Term Music Concert was a showcase of the exceptional musical talent at LWC.
Performances from the concert band, choir, ensembles and soloists raised the roof in Gavin Hall, in front of a sellout crowd.
Thank you for your support in 2024.
Digital Revolution
2nd Form were able to get a taste of what studying Computer Science can lead to this week, with a Digital Studies Workshop.
Students took part in hands-on sessions, learning about AI, drones, robotics and esports.
LWC’s Head of Digital Studies, Melisia Swaby said, “The perception is that studying Computer Science only points to a career as a developer. We aim to show students the wide range of roles available in the tech industry. There are diverse opportunities and tech companies are some of the fastest-growing and most exciting in the world.”
Feedback from pupils taking part in the carousel of activities was overwhelmingly positive.
Miss Swaby added, “One surprising discovery was learning that some universities offer degrees in esports. Students researched further and found that Roehampton University offers scholarships to study esports, including one for female students who want to pursue this option.”
Stern Farm
We’re not only keen to celebrate the achievements of the student body at LWC….
Stern Farm has been at the heart of the College since its inception; when it was developed to educate the children of agricultural workers who had lost one or both parents.
The farm continues to do extraordinary work more than a hundred years later and this is reflected in its performance in local crop competitions, hosted by the Binstead and District Growmore Club.
Farmer, Paul Sigley and his team were presented with the Nickerson Challenge Cup for their winter wheat.
They also lifted the Walter Wood Memorial Challenge Trophy for the fifth time in six years, in honour of being awarded the most points in all wheat classes.
Finally, The Growmore Cup was handed to Stern Farm for the highest aggregate points in the corn and roots competition.
Congratulations to the team.
From Hampshire to Hampton
LWC’s Upper Sixth Historians took a trip back in time yesterday, when they spent the day at Hampton Court Palace, one of King Henry VIII’s favourite residences.
Head of History, Jonathan Lilley explained, “Students received a study session on the Mid-Tudor Crisis and toured the main locations of the Palace, including the Main Hall.
Hampton Court is a fantastic historical source for the study of Tudor England. Within those very rooms, the events described and imagined within the classrooms of LWC were brought to life.
To appreciate the powers of the Tudor monarchy, to realise the separation of state and people, Hampton Court adds flesh to the bones of our students’ understanding.”
Drifting Between Dimensions
Meanwhile, at the V&A in London on Tuesday, LWC’s GCSE 3D Artists were being inspired by the incredible collections on display.
Head of Art, Graham Mobbs reflected, “The V&A is a treasure trove for artists; offering classical sculpture, design, architecture, glass, and the world’s largest collection of ceramics.
A highlight is always seeing the life-sized replica of Michelangelo’s David; a perfect way to experience its grandeur without travelling to Florence!
The students returned brimming with new inspiration for their next projects.”
Spreading Christmas Cheer
Thank you to those of you who have donated to the House hampers in aid of Basingstoke Foodbank.
Once again, your generosity will help those locally, who are struggling.
The Foodbank supported 945 adults and 527 children in crisis between September and mid November alone, distributing 18.9 tonnes of food.
Mark Spray Revisited
After Mark Spray’s three weeks as Artist in Residence at LWC, the work our A-level students produced during his time with us, is now on display.
Mark Spray Revisited is available to view in the Prideaux Gallery until 13th December.
Head of Art, Graham Mobbs explained, “Mark helped our Lower Sixth students to engage directly with LWC’s 1200 acre estate. He encouraged them to explore the concept of ‘place’, whilst discovering their unique artistic voice.
Using a diverse range of materials which included charcoal, ink, paint, water spray, salt, and soil gathered from their surroundings, the students embraced an experimental approach to mark-making.
Initial sketches developed into paintings, that captured the landscapes they encountered and the transformative journey of the creative process.”
Spectacular Sunrise
5th Former, Iestyn captured some incredible colours during sunrise over LWC last week.
If you’ve taken a great picture of the 1200, we’d love to see it.
Please email stories@lordwandsworth.org
Taking a Different Path
It’s Small Business Saturday this weekend, aiming to encourage millions of us to shop small.
Sternian, Shelley Lawson started her own company, alongside her husband, just over a decade ago and could never have predicted where it would take her.
Frog Bikes has since gone on to sell half a million cycles and won a Queen’s Award and King’s Award for exporting.
“My husband Jerry’s a really keen cyclist,” Shelley explains. “The bikes we were looking to buy our kids when they were young, were rubbish. They were heavy, badly designed and hadn’t really moved on since the bikes we had in the 70’s and 80’s. We thought ‘this could be done better’ and believed there was a market out there. Both of us had fairly normal jobs. I had been with Accenture and Tesco. Neither of us had worked in a small business environment before. We hadn’t worked together before and we probably didn’t give it enough thought.”
Despite this, Frog Bikes was a winner. “There was a gap in the market that we were able to jump in and fill,” Shelley reflects. “At the time, we’d had the London Olympics, inspirational cyclists like Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy and lots of people were keen to cycle and get their kids out cycling. It just worked.”
It wasn’t until April 2021 when things ramped up a gear, thanks to the Royal Family.
“Prince Louis’ birthday photo was on one of our bikes, with the brand right in shot,” beams Shelley. “We were flabbergasted and very excited. The website went mad. The picture was in everything from Hello Magazine to The Telegraph. We’d actually completely run out of that range of bikes at the time and so we didn’t quite get to capitalise on the sales, but it was cool!”
Once the furore had calmed down, the couple began to look more critically at their carbon footprint.
“When we realised how much energy and aluminium we were using and how many pairs of tyres we were sending out, we realised that we were indirectly responsible for some quite high emissions. We wanted to improve things and it took a life of its own. I saw an opportunity to have a bit more of an impact by doing this kind of work for other businesses.”
And so, the next stage of Shelley’s business journey began; as a sustainability consultant. “I’ve got an amazing range of clients; from a blanket manufacturer, to a steel supplier. What they all have in common is that they’re desperate to be more sustainable,” she reveals.
When thinking through her passion for the environment, Shelley reflects that this could well be borne out of her time at LWC. She joined in 1991 as a weekly boarder in Gosden House and completed her A-levels here.
“It probably has influenced me,” she reflects. “I’m always happier in the countryside than in the city. I think it’s really healthy and quite inspirational to have this landscape around you all of the time. Unless you learn to love nature and are introduced to nature when you’re young….when you get older, you won’t do anything to protect it. Why would you go out of your way to protect something that you don’t value?”
You can read more about Shelley’s story here
Photo Credit: Andy Aitchison
Autumn Sports Photos
You have until Sunday (December 8th) to take advantage of the exclusive prices for our autumn sports photos.
They can be ordered direct from the School Photography Company here.
Pentathlon Lover?
Do you have a child between 8 and 16 who relishes the challenge of a pentathlon?
Bookings are now being taken for a New Year Pentathlon Camp at LWC.
The camp is taking place on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd January and involves swimming, running, fencing and laser shooting.
Days start at 9am and finish at 3.30pm.
The cost is £110 for both days or £60 for one.
Key Dates
Student Christmas Lunch
Wednesday, 11th December
Carols and Christmas Market
Thursday, 12th December
End of Autumn Term
Noon, Friday, 13th December
Start of Spring Term
Monday, 6th January
LWC Presents Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone, The Haymarket, Basingstoke
Wednesday 22nd-Thursday 23rd January
Exeat Weekend
From 4pm, Friday 24th January