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Memory 70

One former Worcester tradition, that NCW today, and any other school in the country, would not be able to follow, was part of their celebration of Founder's Day. On 29th May each year, all students would be given a packed lunch, some money, and told to go wherever they wished. Venues chosen, and initiatives shown were many and varied, as Richard Fletcher, the Headmaster of the time, revealed in his letter to the Old Boys' Journal for 1968:

A group of our small boys on Founder's Day showed courage and initiative by taking buses to Birmingham and the Warwickshire Cricket Ground, where they found their way to the Members' Pavilion and received a running commentary on the game from the Australian players. My first knowledge of this undertaking came when I received a letter from the Australian Manager, commending the good manners of the College boys and asking my permission for them to receive six Privilege Tickets for a forthcoming Test Match. Headmasters are noted for being inverted Micawbers, always waiting for something to turn down, but in that case I felt bound to say yes.

Memory 71

Judy, a former Chorleywood student, has also reflected on how life has changed:

In the late forties and early fifties the words "Health and safety" seemed to mean that hands must be washed before meals, outdoor shoes worn outside and house shoes inside. There seemed to be so much freedom and none of the staff seemed to bother at all that we took considerable risks jumping up and down the staircases, climbing the trees and running over the bridge across the ha-ha down to the tennis court and small wood.

How different our lovely old house and wonderful grounds were from descriptions made by pupils who arrived years later when the stone stair case had become known as the rubber stairs, and had special rails made to prevent the girls from falling over the ordinary banister.

For those of us who were interested we could have a small garden partway down the back drive, look after hens, cleaning them out or gathering the eggs. A pony and donkey joined us after some time, followed by a lamb which was so pretty and sweet when it was young.

Memory 72

Students at NCW have the opportunity to do a wide range of activities. When they pass assessments in Mobility, they can go to these places with friends. However, for some of our former students, Health and Safety considerations have produced changes they regret. Adrian recalls some of the activities he enjoyed at Worcester College in the 1950s: When I came to Worcester you 'had to' go out for a walk every day. You could do what you wanted most of the time without anyone breathing down your neck. There was always a 'master on duty' but he wasn't watching you all the time.

In our day there were some organized activities (such as rowing), but we had to do more for ourselves, and that was a skill that I believe has stood us in good stead ever since. When I was in what today would be years 9 to 11, I used to build small radios and pieces of electronics (with a hot soldering iron) completely unsupervised, though of course health & safety rules would never allow that today! I even prepared for and took the City & Guilds exam that was needed for getting an amateur radio transmitting licence (and taught two friends at the same time), all without any help from members of staff.

Memory 73

As well as students from Marburg visiting us for a week, some of their students have spent a few weeks at NCW at the beginning of the Autumn Term. Last academic year, Lena then came back to us to spend a ‘Gap’ year as a Community Service Volunteer. In 1999, Hannah described her time as a German visitor:

I really enjoyed staying here. I think it is a great idea to go to another country to learn or improve a language anyway, but it is particularly good if you like the school where you are staying and the pupils around there. At the end I did not have too many problems following the teachers and most people understood what I was trying to say. That was a really good experience.

I was not really homesick. Fortunately there were lots of people around I could talk to at school, but especially in Peggy Markes House I had never expected so much help. I have never been to a boarding school before. Everything seemed quite strange to me, but I got used to it, although I never think I will get used to the English food, because it is just so different. Living in Peggy Markes was really good for me. I have learned confidence here. I found friends I will stay in contact with and indeed I was able to make my own breakfast and tea.

Memory 74

For the past twenty-eight years, NCW has been an exchange partner with the Carl-Strehl-Schule in Marburg. This school for the visually impaired is celebrating its one hundred year anniversary. In the College magazine of 1999, Mr Roberts described a visit to Germany:

This was a special exchange trip, since we were celebrating ten years of travelling to the Carl-Strehle-Schule. The teachers had planned a full and varied programme, which included tea and cakes with the Headmaster on our arrival and a meeting with the mayor in the ‘Rathaus’. A new trip was added to the programme this year – to ‘Hessepark’ near Frankfurt (a cross between the Black Country museum and the Avoncroft Museum of buildings) which proved to be a huge success. The highlight of the whole trip came right at the end when we celebrated ten years of visiting the German school.

The party started with a guest appearance from the ‘Acapella’ group, ‘Schlag 6’ which has become famous in and around Marburg. The speeches became quite emotional.

Memory 75

NCW students get involved in a range of charity activities. The Senior Student Team are particularly active in promoting fund-raising for Children in Need and Comic Relief. For many years, staff and students joined the Malvern Hills Walk in aid of St. Richard’s Hospice. In the 1998 College Magazine, Mrs McKinley and Mrs Betts described the walk on May 8th:

Three students walked two miles, eighteen students did the five-mile circular walk and twelve students accomplished the whole eleven miles, walking the full length of the Malvern Hills.

The hardest thing about the eleven-mile walk is getting up early on a Saturday morning!

This year the bluebells at the southern end were spectacular and gave us lots of excuses to stop and admire them. The lunch break at British Camp gave us chance to meet up with the others and compare blisters before continuing northwards towards the Worcestershire Beacon. There is not much shade on the afternoon stretch and it all seems uphill!

We all arrived at the finish together. Were we tired? Did we have blisters? Would we do it again next year? I expect the answer to some of these question is ‘yes’ and I hope the last one gets a definite ‘yes’!

Memory 76

Chorleywood under Miss Monk had an active Social Service group. Its activities are described in the College magazine of 1938-9:

Weekly working parties have been held on Sunday evenings, resulting in a large parcel of children’s knitted garments and some woolly balls from the juniors being sent at Christmas to the National Children’s Home at Harpenden.

Wood-gathering has been the work of Middle School, and the traditional neat bundles have been taken on Saturday to the Almshouse ladies on the Common, who paid a return visit at the Estate Christmas Party.

A new idea of sending occasional parcels of catkins, cones and horse-chestnuts for the Chelsea Day Nursery children was started.

Chorleywood is sending a terminal collection to Queen Mary’s High School, Walsall, so contributing towards the help given to three refugee children.

Memory 77

Chess continued to be an activity that brought the boys of Worcester College into contact with the local community. Malcolm recalls some of these matches:

I was at Worcester Kings School as a boarder from 1949/58, and have memories of playing chess for the school in matches versus the College for the Blind who produced good players under the excellent guidance of Mr R. W. Bonham, who beat me soundly (at chess, that is!) in 26 moves in a Worcester & District league match on the 8th December 1956.

In that same 1956/57 chess season, 5 boys from the College were entered into the Worcestershire County Individual Junior Championship (Under 18s). Between them they produced one of the finalists - Jones - who lost to me on 17th March 1957 in an exciting 44 move game which started at the College on 13th December and had to be adjourned because of time.

Memory 78

When G.C. Brown became headmaster, he promoted chess as a game in which the boys could compete with their sighted peers. The boy’s enthusiasm and success was described by John in 1935:

Foremost in winter comes the inevitable chess. This fascinating game attracts almost universal interest in the college and matches frequently take place between the college teams and other clubs including, Oxford University, Birmingham City and many others. We have also held the Worcestershire Public Schools Championship for many years, and in 1928, carried off a shield awarded to the champion of the public schools of England. We also compete in several other chess leagues, and it may also be noted that for the last sixteen years the college has provided Oxford University with its chess champion. Tournaments and informal instruction circles are arranged; whilst chess masters are invited to give lectures and to play the members of the school simultaneously. During my short residence here I have met over the board: The Sultan Khan (former British Empire Champion), Moroczy, Sir George Thomas (President British Empire Champion), T. H. Tyler (a well-known competitor at the Hastings Congress and an Old Boy of the college), Herr Misses. and Froulein Sonia Graff (The Girl Champion of Germany).

Memory 79

Worcester had a College hymn. The Latin words were written by a former student who returned as a master, H.J.R. Marston and the music by another former student - the composer William Wolstenholme. The translation here was written by the then teacher of Latin, Mr Dean, in 2002. Around the turn of the century, the Department for Education had designated some schools, including New College Worcester as Beacon schools, given the task of passing on their good practice:

Blessed Holy Trinity, with your protection our school has been kept safe, and even though it has had to stand alone for so long, it will carry on and on.

With Your Goodwill, now let us sing of this wonderful school we possess, fortunate in God's Aid to us and to those who have preceded us.

It was here first that light, brought to blind eyes, emerged from darkness, and here light first spread among those once stricken by cruel and harsh fate. Now it is that manners, books, skills, study of law all enrich us for a life of ease or hardship. We shall go on to high positions, we whose forebears were deprived by destiny of all such things.

Now it is that healthy exercise drives our limbs, while learning fosters our minds; nor are we ashamed to have practised games, we whose courage thus thrives the more. So our school stands as a Beacon; nor in future will it stand alone; as mother of so many blind pupils who in turn care for others, their flocks.

Memory 80

The financial challenges of the early years of Chorleywood College inspired two of the members of staff to write a school song called ‘Our ship’. The music was by Albert E. Bevan, and the words by Gwen Upcott:

The wind in the rigging, a clamorous salt sea, Fair or dirty weather, it matters not to me, For I'm afloat In a sea-going boat, And she won't go down, not she! not she! And she won't go down, not she!

Though skies be overcast, and land be out of sight, The company I've shipped with is navigating right, As seamen do When the needle's true, And the racing sea foams white! foams white! And the racing sea foams white!

Once aboard the Cedars, you're never going back, The wind is blowing forward, an awkward wind to tack, You've swung your cot With a pioneer lot, You'll very soon get the knack! the knack! You'll very soon get the knack!

Voyaging, voyaging! It’s not a pleasure trip, Passengers not wanted, but if you’ll take a tip, You’ll join the crew And steer her through, Here’s to all aboard our ship! Our ship! Here’s to all aboard our ship!

Memory 81

Despite the problems with getting hold of class sets of textbooks in Braille before the Second World War, the girls of Chorleywood were very successful in their studies for English examinations. Miss Deavin, the teacher of English, Mathematics and Latin, describes the experience in lessons in Though Land be out of Sight: The Early Years of Chorleywood College:

I was always very glad that English fell to my lot, as it was a subject with infinite scope and universally popular. I look back with pleasure on out literature lessons, and remember the poetry and plays we enjoyed together. I have never much elsewhere such interested and attentive listeners or such spontaneous response. Even before fluency in Braille has been achieved, classwork in this subject presents few difficulties, and when pupils can read for themselves it has few limitations. The majority of our language work was incidental to our reading. We have cause to be thankful that we were spared the multiplicity of books of English exercises with which the educational market has been flooded for years past.

Memory 82

NCW students are encouraged to read widely and the College library has audiobooks as well as books in Braille and Large Print. In the 1870s, Braille had yet to be formerly recognised in Britain as the most effective method of reading and writing. In 1879, the Worcester College boys wrote to Thomas Hughes for permission to have Tom Brown's Schooldays embossed in Roman type. He replied:

My dear boys, Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to add in any way in my power to your enjoyments. Of course you are welcome to emboss Tom Brown or any work of mine, and I will gladly give you a guinea towards the expenses if you will let me know to whom I shall pay it. I am not rich, or I would give you the twenty pounds required, and I hope you may soon be able to get other and better books to read yourselves. I will ask Messrs. Macmillan, my publishers, whether they can help in this matter, which I am sure they will gladly do if they can. Believe me always, Yours very truly, Thomas Hughes.

Memory 83

A concern with learning to touch-type is not a New College Worcester development. By the 1940s, students at both Chorleywood and Worcester were being taught to type. This helped in the work-place and in higher education, but, as David reflects, also had other consequences:

Probably the most important lessons I and many of my contemporaries learnt in the 1950s was typing. Being taught to type meant we were able to keep in touch with family and friends by writing to them not in Braille but in type. When, of course, computers came in it stood us in hugely good stead for coping with the skills needed.

Memory 84

All students at NCW now get issued with a laptop. Since the merger, students at NCW have had to adapt to changes in technology, which have brought many advantages, but have also created initial challenges. In the magazine of 1999, Mrs O’Donnell, an ICT teacher, described the situation for Years 8 and 9:

This year has seen a vast change for all the students and staff using the new computers. I’ve had a number of the younger students asking where all the DOS computers have gone and wanting the old familiar computers back. Mainly because they knew how to use them and were familiar with them. As for all people change is often hard to cope with, but we had to use ‘Industry Standard’ software and hardware so that our students will be able to move into the workplace and be using the same things. As we have got used to the computers the speech has improved and all the menus talk. We have learnt the basics of Word, Excel and Access. Now all we need to find are some talking games that work with Windows ’98.

Memory 85

Students use different working methods today. Some use print or Braille on a Perkins Brailler, as well as developing their skills on a laptop. As Adrian recalls learning Braille in the 1950s had additional complexities:

I, like many others of my generation, learned to read Braille and to write it on a hand frame when I was five. I often think that the hand frame must have been very confusing. When you read Braille the dots 1, 2, 3 are on the left of the cell and dots 4, 5, 6 are on the right; however when you write it on a hand frame dots 1, 2, 3 are on the right and dots 4, 5, 6 are on the left, so we had to learn this rotation about the north-south line right from the start.

Memory 86 - 12 September

Today is the date that Worcester College opened in 1866. ‘Berrow’s Worcester Journal’ announced:

A college has been established in this city for the education of the blind among the higher classes, and amongst the patrons and supporters are the Bishop of Worcester, the Dean of Worcester, Lord Lyttelton, Sir John Pakington, and the Rev. W. Taylor, formerly of York. The Rev. Robert Hugh Blair is the Principal of the College. It is proposed to impart a liberal education, including preparation for the universities. The project has been well received.

Memory 87

One of the oldest documents in the College archive is a record book used by the Headmaster of Worcester College in 1870. This contains some of the examination papers used with a list of the marks each pupil gained (the results are mixed, which is perhaps not surprising given some of the questions, particularly in the context of the time). There are papers for Divinity, Classics and Astronomy, as well as History and Arithmetic. The questions on the junior papers included:

Why do the stars shine and the Planets? Describe an ellipse mechanically, and explain the terms axis, major and minor focus and eccentricity. Assign causes for the downfall of the Roman Commonwealth. The last six Kings of Judah with dates. State the occasions on which Jewish and Babylonian history touch. How can Hydrogen be obtained from water? How first can it be obtained more easily?

Memory 88

The request for memories has produced some evocative accounts, such as this description of Chorleywood from Janet:

Sitting in the oak panelled library of Chorleywood College, on a warm, Summer Sunday evening, with the bells ringing out from the local church, you could imagine yourself in the countryside. The grounds were extensive with lots of specimen trees and gave the impression of peace and space. Just like the romantic poetry you were studying for exams. The school was a small country house but had a gracious atmosphere and always smelt of polish. The large entrance hall had bay windows looking onto a circular lawn with a sundial. The library led off to the right and itself led into a Victorian Winter Garden. In these surroundings, it was easy to transport yourself into another era and lose the thread of your books. Whenever I hear country church bells, on the radio, I always think of Chorleywood.

Memory 89

Lyndall was one of the first girls to come to New College as part of the merger with Chorleywood. As part of our 150 years, we have gained Heritage Lottery Funding for an Oral History Project. In her interview, she recalled what she gained:

It’s my study and my friends that I really love most from what I did here. There are loads of people I am still in contact with. There is something about boarding school, about sharing life with people like that, that I think makes you closer, so my friendships are a really big thing for me from here. That was once we’d got over the weird boys, and that they didn’t want to talk to us.

One break time someone said something and made someone else laugh and suddenly all the girls went over and we were all talking to each other. It was about four weeks in, but when we did start talking to each other, we became very close. Those people would still be people I talk to today.

Memory 90

Amongst the new arrivals at NCW this week, are some new Community Service volunteers from Canada and the USA who will be joining two others from Australia and New Zealand. These young people, who are taking a gap year, play a valuable role assisting in the houses and around College. In the College magazine of 2008, Monica described her time with us:

Of course there are the holidays and long weekends which every GAP student uses to travel the UK and Europe, but NCW offers their GAP students the experiences of a huge variety of activities, from those which are sporting and educationally based, to fun and leisure trips. The trips to Alton Towers and Cadbury World are obviously a lot of fun but the weekly excursions to horse-riding, wind-surfing and Guides keep us busy and teach us skills we would never have been able to learn previously. We’ve seen how students deal with visual impairment and the implications of it on their daily lives. Having known nothing about braille, speech programs, magnifiers and mobility, we will all go home far wiser.

Memory 91

Our new students this year have all arrived by car. When Brendan first arrived in 1957, travelling with his brother Adrian who was already a Worcester student, his journey was more complicated.

For the first journey we came over by boat from our home in Belfast, down to the docks onto the boat. We sailed overnight to Liverpool. Then from Liverpool, we went and got a coach down to Birmingham. My aunt, who lived in the Black Country, met us and saw us onto the bus which got us down to Worcester.

Memory 92

Today is the first day of the Autumn Term and the beginning of induction for new students and new sixth formers. Judy describes her excitement when she transferred to Chorleywood in 1946 at the age of eleven from another residential special school; she shows how uniforms and residential accommodation have changed: My mother spent hours stitching name labels on to all the uniform items. There were six of all the underwear items and blouses, two pairs of outdoor shoes and one of indoor. A winter coat and gabardine mac and a hat with a brim and a beret were all packed into a trunk which were sent off by rail a couple of days before the term began.

How thrilling it was to sleep in a dormitory with only six beds covered by a pretty patchwork counterpane with a wool rug to step on to when I got out of bed. Now we each had our own washstand/dressing table at the bottom of our bed, with several drawers in which to keep our clothes, and a jug and bowl on top of one half which was covered with marble.

Off we would go in the morning soon after the waking up bell, carrying our jug and filling it in a small lobby at the end of the corridor with hot water in which we washed after we'd taken it back to the dormitory and tipped it into our wash bowl.

How smart I felt sitting on a comfortable cane seated chair at one of the seven refectory tables in the dining room and being able to choose to drink tea or coffee and to use marmalade which I removed from a dish in the middle of the table rather than the spoonful that had been placed on the rim at the edge of my plate.

Oh yes, this was certainly a wonderful place and one day it would have taught me to be a real lady, of that I was certain.

Memory 93

Today is Travel Day for the end of the summer term, and so this is our last memory until 6th September when the autumn term begins. These days most students go home by taxi or family car. This wasn’t the case for most students in the twentieth century. Miss Boreham describes the role of Chorleywood staff:

Students were escorted both ways; to London (Paddington/Marylebone), Heathrow Airport and Sheffield. Each member of staff took 4 pupils on the train to London. On one occasion one pupil wore all her clothes to enable her to take her radio/tape player in her case. She fainted from the resulting overheating of her body! Pupils were normally only allowed to carry a suitcase and a white cane, although a musical instrument was permitted. Staff were not supposed to help students carry their luggage, but we often did. In the early days we had to walk from the station across the common, but later on a coach was provided.

Memory 94

As part of Activities week, students are marketing their smoothies to our ‘dragons’ today. They went out fruit-picking in the sun yesterday. As the Worcester Evening News reported, the weather on 20th July 1917 the weather was nowhere near as good. Worcester College for the Blind held their annual regatta. The weather was rather stormy, and many of the races were rowed in a heavy downpour. The rowing was of a very excellent character.

Memory 95

A particularly exciting trip of recent years was the trip organised by the Geography department to Costa Rica. Adam described the trip in the 2003 College magazine:

We travelled the whole country, from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean. The climate was humid, and could reach up to 40 degrees centigrade.

We stayed in a turtle research sanctuary for three nights, where we went on patrol, walking along the beach every night, searching for leatherback turtles. They are amazing creatures. We saw them lay their eggs and swim. We all found them fascinating. We even got to touch them. There are only about 30 thousand of this type of turtle in the world, so to think I saw three of them is amazing.

We slept in wooden cabins, but I can’t complain It was brilliant. Despite the lack of electricity, and the fact that water easily ran out, we coped very well, and we all had a fantastic time!

Memory 96

Today is Sports Day. This morning students are in teams for a number of athletics and rowing events. This afternoon there are sprint races. Athletics started at Worcester College when a running track was created on land on the other side of the dual carriageway (where there is now a housing estate). The track was officially opened in 1932 by Lord Burghley, an Olympic gold medal winning 400m hurdler. The Times reported comments made by Headmaster G.C. Brown at the opening on 31st May 1932:

It was obvious that the boys would have to use the track for some time before they could be familiar with it and go full steam round the bends. After experience and adaptations he should make in consultation with the boys, he thought they should be able to overcome the difficulties facing them, and that the boys would come up to ‘sighted’ standard. The object of the track was to provide opportunity of exercise when the boys could not row and swim. Sometimes in the autumn, when the river was in flood, they could not row, and they could only walk which was not good enough for the boys.

Memory 97

During a holiday in the mid-1990s, a group of NCW students and staff went to a French school for the visually impaired in Clermont-Ferrand, a town in the Auvergne, near the volcanic Chaîne des Puys mountain range. Mr Roberts recalls one experience which came from the privilege of being part of an exchange partnership:

There were two members of staff from the French school, the teacher of English, Ghislaine and her colleague, Odile. They decided we were going to have lunch at Odile’s parents’ house, part of which was their business where animal skins were tanned and made into leather! We were greeted by Odile’s parents and were given some revolting tasting drink. Mr Dean and I ended up having to surreptitiously tip the contents of the students’ cups into any available plant pot in the garden. Once we had eaten our packed lunch, we were given a guided tour of the old house. Old? It was more like Miss Havisham’s mansion or the Addams family home! I must admit, whilst in the kitchen, out of sheer devilment, I couldn’t resist giving some of the students a tactile tour of the walls through the decades of grease and grime. Then there was the bathroom with Jack and Jill doors. Lo and behold, Odile’s rather tired and extremely elderly grandfather suddenly appeared in the room from one of them, with a pained expression on his face and we knew it was time to bring the guided tour of the bathroom and its treasures to an abrupt end. Eventually, we arrived in the factory, the part of the house with all the furs and skins. More tactile exploring, more dust, dirt, grime. This was followed by one of our students modelling some of the furs. Surreal indeed!

Memory 98

During the Easter holiday of 1961, a group of 11 Worcester College boys and 6 staff went to Paris. He described the trip in the College magazine of 1961, but with no extra detail about the minor mishap:

An early highlight was the Civic Reception held at the Hotel De Ville, at which we were welcomed to Paris along with several thousand other young people. At the other end of the scale we spent the whole of one morning casting around for bargains at the Flea Market. This excursion in particular enabled us to absorb local colour in plenty, and rub shoulders with the Parisian, as indeed we doing every time we used the Metro, which we did with some skill by the end of the trip.

Although we covered most ground by day, nevertheless it was the evenings which proved the real highlights of the trip. We were able to attend a radio broadcast as members of an invited audience, while on the following night we were the guests of a crack Parisian chess tem which thrashed a team made up from our party, but at the same time entertained us in a wonderful manner.

Luckily, the party was fairly free of accidents and mishaps, the only small exception occurring when three of us remained stranded on the Eiffel Tower for a while.

Memory 99

In July 1964, a group of fourteen Chorleywood students, accompanied by four staff went to Bergen, Norway. A scrapbook includes accounts by the students of visits to museums, markets and churches, as well as walking in the mountains and folk-dancing. Jane and Judith described one trip: We began a slippery climb up a steep narrow path, with only a barbed wire fence on our right, and a precipitous drop on our left into the bog beneath. This took us quite a time, and we were glad to be able to sit down about an hour later for lunch. We chose a pretty spot under a high bank, and in front of us a wood, where we could hear the sound of a waterfall. We were all very hungry, and the buns, meat, cheese and tomatoes were soon all demolished. We proceeded to climb a wall into another boggy field, where we crossed a river on stepping stones, and after further hazardous climbing found ourselves on the lower slopes of the Liajfell, or Lia mountain.

Memory 100

We are in our last week countdown to the summer holiday. Last summer, a group of NCW students went with students from King’s School in Worcester to Iceland. Amy reflects on her experiences:

We went caving, white water rafting, exploring glaciers using crampons and ice axes, and we went to see the biggest waterfall in Europe. After that we trekked for 6 days through mountainous terrain, whilst on our trek we saw some beautiful sights along the way. There was still a lot of snow around which was unusual for the time of year. During the trek we also came across some hot springs, which were naturally heated rivers and streams. It was really nice at the end of a hard days trek to be able to relax in the lovely hot water.

Overall it was a once in a lifetime trip. I think we all gained social skills and became more confident in our abilities. It was really nice to meet new people from outside of the College and make new friends. We were challenged both physically and mentally, and at times wanted to crawl back into our tents. But we started this expedition as a team and, with everyone supporting each other, we pulled through.

Memory 101

Today is very quiet in College. Key Stage 3 are out on their annual Humanities trip. This year they are going to Caerphilly Castle in the morning and on to Coney Beach Porthcawl in the afternoon. Dr Normanton Erry describes previous years:

Mrs Harrison and I set up the KS3 Humanities trip as a response to a suggestion that faculties might like to take students out during the last week of term and fourteen years later it is still going. Apart from one particularly rainy year, when we went for a quick walk at Barry Island, we have kept to more or less the same schedule of a History-linked visit in the morning and then the beach. I have really enjoyed the morning visits: over the years these produced memories of Mrs Harrison getting into role as a Victorian elementary school teacher at the old schoolroom in the Museum of Welsh Life, and students wonder at the surroundings underground at Big Pit. Jack’s impromptu, and much appreciated, performance on the piano on the SS Great Britain was another highlight. However, I also have fond memories of seeing students on the beach, running freely in the open, flat space. It has always amazed me how wet many have wanted to become despite only being allowed to paddle in the cold seawater.

Memory 102

An important benefactor in the development of Worcester College was Miss Eliza Warrington. Her will shows the range of her interests, with reference to her microscope and stereoscope, as well as donations to local, national and international organisations. In the 1880s, she provided the money for a music scholarship. Then she helped enable the College to relocate to its current site, as described by Mary Thomas in The First Seventy Years:

In 1894 the Governors decided that the time had come to consider removal from Powick, and the selection of a site, either at Malvern or Worcester, for the erection of new buildings, though it was not until nearly two years later that the site of the present College buildings on the Whittington Road was finally bought, once more owing to the generosity of Miss Warrington who granted the whole purchase money of £720. It was characteristic of her that she believed surroundings of natural beauty were as important a factor in the well-being of the sightless as of those who could see.

In 1900 Miss Warrington intimated through her solicitor that if building were begun at once she would not only pay over the [promised] £5,000, but make a further contribution up to £3,000 if required. Her offer was most gratefully accepted, and plans for building prepared.

Miss Warrington, whose interest in the College had been both generous and warm- hearted, unhappily did not live to see her work come to fruition, for in 1901 the Governors had to record "their deep sense of the irreparable loss the College has sustained by the death of its foremost benefactress".

Memory 103

Another of the ‘Personalities in the World of the Blind’ who influenced the history of Chorleywood and Worcester Colleges, as well as the RNIB, was Sir Beachcroft Towse. Towse was a former Gordon Highlanders’ Captain who had lost his sight as a result of a Boer War action which had gained him the Victoria Cross. He had official state duties as a member of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-At-Arms during the reigns of King Edward VII and George V, and played a leading role with a number of charities. He became first Chairman of the Chorleywood Governors, where, according to Miss Monk, ‘he supported, encouraged and inspired full life for the school and its individual members’. Something of his character is evident in The Beacon’s 1924 description of his private life:

He makes his own pergolas and rustic walks, and if a tree is to be taken down, he himself climbs it – 50 or 60 feet – and fixes the ropes. Animals and birds are to him a constant source of delight; each bird he distinguishes by its note or its flight. He is a breeder of Large Black Pedigree Pigs. In the summer months sculling is his favourite pastime, but this energetic man is most happy when creating something, and many hours are spent in his carpenter’s shop, where interesting and useful objects are produced.

Memory 104

A number of students from the Colleges have gone on to become professional musicians. One of the most notable from the early years was William Wolstenholme. He was an organist, choirmaster and performer, touring the USA. He was taught organ at Worcester by the Cathedral organist and violin by Sir Edward Elgar. An article in a series on ‘Personalities in the World of the Blind’ in The Beacon demonstrated the support he gained from Elgar:

While Wolstenholme was at Oxford, in October 1887, Elgar received a desperate request from the student who found himself unable to get on with the official assistant assigned to him. Elgar then acted as an amanuensis for his degree, having helped prepare him for examination. Elgar is reputed to have pointed out a mistake in the examination paper to the Examiner, Sir Frederick Bridge but stated that the only assistance he had needed to give on Wolstenholme’s script was to insert ‘VS’ (Volti Subito – turn over quickly) at the end of one of the written pages.

Memory 105

Over the years, many students have organized their own bands. In 2004, Adam formed ‘Manic Rage’, which he described in the NCW College magazine:

We’re not really a punk, grunge, or heavy metal band, because although some of our songs do contain elements of those styles, really we do our own thing. I am the bassist and main lyricist with the band. I’ve been playing for about sixteen months and I practise for at least ninety minutes a day.

We began practising in September and have now reached the point where we can play in public. We have already played in the end of Christmas term concert and have taken part in a lunchtime concert for Shelter just after Easter. We have several gigs planned within the next few months, including one at Marrs Bar, joint gigs with local bands, and a few in the summer in Shrewsbury and Blackpool. It’s really hard work, but definitely worth the effort.

Memory 106

At Chorleywood, Music was taught from the beginning which included ‘pianoforte, class singing, and Musical Appreciation’, and twenty per cent of the girls in the first twenty years achieving Grade V or above at cello or piano. The Music Society reported on activities in the College Magazine of 1942-3:

Three lecture recitals have been given by members of the committee, one on Schumann in the Christmas term by Josephine, another in the Easter term by Muriel on Schubert, and the Third in the Summer term on Mendelssohn given by Pat. At each recital illustration of piano solos and singing were provided by members of the Club.

We have had one visitor, Miss Isabel Wilson, LRAM, to perform for us during the year. Besides many smaller works she played the solo part of the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ piano concerto. The Junior school sang and played their percussion band at one of our meetings.

Some competitions and ‘quizzes’ have been held, a few songs have been learnt and we have also heard a little about the music of other countries.

Memory 107

In the 1930s, Worcester had a College Dance Band. They were mentioned in the ‘Melody Maker’ of 1935, which praised them for protecting the livelihood of professional musicians by insisting that another band was employed at their engagements. The College magazine of 1935 described some of their activities:

During the last two terms the College Players have continued to grow, both in size and in reputation.

On the first day of the Winter Term we played at the Guildhall for the Royal Infirmary Dance. This is the largest dance held in Worcester, at which four of the best local bands are asked to play. This was our public debut – as we had not previously played outside the College – and we definitely made the big ‘hit’ of the evening.

Our next appearance was at the Catholic Hall, where we were asked to play on the stage between numbers. We made up a programme of popular hits for the moment, old favourite tunes and comedy numbers and arranged them for a listening audience and not for a dancing one.

Memory 108

In 1997 three NCW students reached the finals of the County Young Musician of the Year. Sally described the experience in the College magazine:

As the competition drew near, a mixture of feelings ran through my mind. Would I be ready in time? What would the other musicians be like? After all my worries and apprehension, I decided that I would try and relax and enjoy the music, and if I won, well that would be a bonus.

The competition was a week away, and everything was going well, until I woke up on Monday morning with a tickle in my throat. On Friday morning, the day of the competition, my voice was virtually non-existent and every note I tried to sing sounded like a drowned cat with a cold. My singing teacher encouraged me to take part, if only for the experience. After all that, I did really enjoy singing, and I enjoyed listening to the excellent music performed by the others, including James and Silas. James came a close second with his brilliant recorder playing.

Memory 109

Julie, a student in the late 1960s and early 1970s, recalls some of her experiences of music at Chorleywood:

We all started piano and then some of us took up additional instruments. One slightly scary thing was that many of us learnt to play at least one hymn so that we could, from time to time, accompany the singing for daily prayers. I learned "Father, hear the prayer we offer" and I so remember the total nervous state I and all of us experienced when it was approaching our turn to play. We were terrified that we would make an awful mistake, stop dead, start up in the wrong octave and have to begin again, or get lost and be totally left behind. Sometimes we did, which was very embarrassing but I guess at least taught us that life doesn't end because a "performance" goes wrong. More often things went well and we felt very relieved to have got the task done and to know we probably wouldn't have to repeat it for, at least, some months, possibly never again.

Memory 110

Music and Drama has always played an important role in the Colleges, although the repertoire, and instruments played, have broadened, as is shown in the Speech Day programme for July 24th 1884. William Wolstenholme was to go to become an internationally renowned organist and composer.

1. Solo Organ – Grand Chorus in A, Salome: W. Wolstenholme 2. Greek Scene ‘Oedipus Coloneus’ vv.800-905. 3. Solo pianoforte: ‘Lieder ohne Worte’, Mendelssohn: H. Warmington 4. Vocal Trio – ‘On the sea’, Gounod: The Juniors 5. Solo Pianoforte: W. Wolstenholme 6. Junior English Scene: ‘Vanity Cured’ 7. Duet pianoforte – Grand Victoria Waltz, J. Schuloff: W. Wolstenholme and H. Warmington 8. Shakespeare – ‘Merchant of Venice’ Act IV Sc. 1 9. Organ – Choral Song and Fugue, S. S. Wesley: W. Wolstenholme 10. Song – ‘The Bivouac’: E.D. Carr 11. Glee – ‘Jack Frost’, Gaul: The Students

Presentation of Prizes

Memory 111

The prizes in June 1963 were presented by the Chairman of Governors, Viscount Cobham, who had just returned from five years as Governor-General of New Zealand. The Worcester Evening News described his speech:

Lord Cobham – treasurer of the M.C.C. and anxiously awaiting the latest score in the Test match with the West Indies at Lord’s which he had missed in order to come to Worcester – told the boys after presenting the prizes, ‘Although you are limited to a certain extent in the range of things you can do, there is no limit to the quality of work you can perform. But unless you are going to make life an adventure of the mind you are not going to do anything very well.’

The College, he added, had produced many fine men already who had made their mark in a variety of fields.

Memory 112

Today is Celebration Day, with a concert in the morning and prize-giving in the afternoon. Prizes are being presented by Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE. Mrs Wright (Key Stage 3 leader and librarian) remembers some of the previous speakers:

There are many memories of Speech Day, now called Celebration Day. I remember when Speech Day was held in a marquee on the Malvern Lawn – it was very grand, the ladies wore tea dresses and hats, and all the gentlemen wore suits. After the Learning Resource Centre was built, Celebration Day came inside. Many former students have come back to speak, including broadcasters Peter White and Gary O’Donoghue, barrister and political activist, Mark Higgins (who sadly did not entertain us with his memorable impression of William Hague), and Paralympic athletes Naomi Riches and Will Norman. Other speakers have included Estelle Morris and David Blunkett. Lord Blunkett told us how as a young man he was fiercely independent and never liked to ask for help. One day he was a guest of Her Majesty the Queen at a grand dinner and, reluctant to admit defeat with a pork chop, managed to send his dinner flying across the table. As Her Majesty kindly rescued his chop and cut it up for him she reassured him that she did this for the corgis. I’m sure that made him feel much better.

Memory 113

Today is the centenary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. 19,240 British soldiers died on the first day. In total, the battle cost over a million lives. Ian Fraser, who was to become a WCB governor and was later given the first life peerage, was blinded in action during this battle. NCW students have been on a number of visits to the First World War battlefields. Stephen described a trip to Ieper in the school magazine of 2004:

We visited Tyne Cot Cemetery where approximately 30,000 allied soldiers are buried. Seeing the rows upon rows of tombstones just brings home the trauma that they had to go through for us. We then went to see the Langemark German cemetery. The German gravestones are flat on the ground whereas the Allied gravestones are upright. It was shocking to hear how the German soldiers were all put in a big pit and buried together, whereas at Tyne Cot every soldier is buried and honoured individually.

We went to hear the Last Post played at the Menin Gate. There was absolute silence which meant that a solemnity came over you and made you think about what it really signified.

This had been a worthwhile trip, because the sacrifices people had made during the wars to preserve our freedom really came home to us.

Memory 114

Tonight is the NCW Leavers’ Dinner. Julia Winkworth from Reception gives us a flavour of what happens:

Once a year NCW upper students all dress up, along with staff, and join in celebrations at the Worcester Rugby Club for the annual Sixth Form Leavers Dinner. It is a fantastic night of fun, laughs, sadness, good food and drink in flow! The chance for a photograph or three too.

The students all go to town with getting dressed up and even the chaps look great. Everyone gets the chance to vote for Prom King or Queen on the night, so this creates lots of chatter and excitement.

After a lovely 3 course meal, fully served, we all get ready for the famous after dinner speech. Over the years, Dr Chris Stonehouse has carried this out fabulously, sometimes with the help of our very own Mr Peden on Guitar, or one of the students singing/rapping along. Each year this is the highlight for the majority of the staff and students and the speech leaves us aching from laughter! All credit must go to the Rugby club for a lovely evening, Head of Care for organising, and lastly but by no means least the house staff for assisting with the students many needs when getting ready – they do a fantastic job in such a small amount of time!

Memory 115

Susan recalls prize-giving in the 1970s:

Prize giving was an auspicious event at Chorleywood. As far as I remember, students had no prior knowledge that they had been awarded a prize. The prizes were especially chosen for each individual student. As well as the prizes there was the reading out of each girl's braille reading speed (we all learned braille), and also posture grades, when everyone sat up a little straighter in their seats as if this could make some last-minute difference to their grade. I won one prize and I was commended for my posture – this was in the year when it was decided that commendees should no longer receive badges for their achievement. Shame. Memory 116

Saturday is Celebration Day, including a concert and then prize-giving. In the build-up to this, there are various leavers’ activities. In 1935, Stewart described the Worcester College “Speechweek”.

It falls usually the last week of June; during which time the Old Boys are invited to stay at the college. On the Thursday afternoon there is the distribution of prizes together with a considerable amount of formal speechmaking and an organ recital after which tea is provided for the guests. The following two afternoons are taken up with the regatta. During the course of the week we also compete against the Old Boys in the baths, and over the chess board. The whole week, in fact, is festivity, and everyone concerned thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Memory 117

Hans was a Jewish student whose parents had sent him to Worcester to get him out of Germany. He recalls some of the problems he faced in the early part of the Second World War.

My life at Worcester was to a large extent dominated by my legal status of "enemy alien", and the intention of the Worcester police to emulate if not outshine the Metropolitan. I was hauled before the magistrate to prove that I was blind. The J.P. handed me a banknote with the words that I could keep it if I correctly identified its value. I had sense enough to give the wrong answer, but still, the College ophthalmologist was called to swear under oath that I was totally blind. This was, of course, due to the scare the Government had, after the discovery that the reason of the rapid seizure of the Netherlands in the spring of 1940 was due to many Germans posing as refugees turned out to be Nazi spies, at which internment of aliens started in earnest here.

One of the restrictions was that aliens had to request police permission to travel more than 5 miles away from their residence. This bothered Reg Bonham so much, that sought and obtained police permission to enable me to join the chess team for "away" matches.

It also meant that I was unable to join the customary trip to Stratford for a performance of the set-book Shakespeare, because police permission did not arrive in time. Mrs. Bradnack nobly stepped into the breach and took me later by myself.

Memory 118

Chorleywood’s girls, and the boys of the kindergarten, were joined at the beginning of the war by adult evacuees from the headquarters of the NIB. Mary Thomas, the Information Officer of the N.I.B., described the experience of an air raid warning in the College magazine of 1939:

On that first night, it was a warning. We all went down in perfect order, said ‘Here’ very bravely as the Roll was called and then sat down somewhat demurely on our soap boxes in the rather dim light of cycle lamps. The cellars are most impressive, having the smell of mushroom characteristic of all the best cellars.

Soon the All Clear sounded and, complete with the black kitten, which had been brought down partly for his own sake and partly as a solace for the smallest of the small boys and girls, we trooped upstairs again and back to bed.

Memory 119

During the Second World War, Brian Bradnack set up a “Useful Services Association” to encourage the boys to carry out jobs such as shovelling coal. Staff shortages meant boys had to make their own beds and rationing resulted in an area of lawn being dug up for vegetables. As Michael recalls there were not the only consequences:

Sugar, like so many other products during the war, was rationed, and those of us who liked it certainly liked it! We had a Students' Union, and we demanded a ration of sugar each week to be held individually in sugar tins. Well, we fought for this for a long time, and we won our way in the end.

We also had another benefit. We received food parcels. In our case, they were sent from Canada, and they usually contained tins of jam and other commodities, and they bolstered the improved food supply, but lads of that age can never get enough to eat, can they? So we benefited from those parcels and also we benefited from dried egg (though I'm not sure that "benefited is the right word). This was something else! - we habitually had it for breakfast.

Wartime was certainly a time when I felt, even as a young child, that people pulled together and faced the emergency with that degree of cheerfulness, which meant that people stuck together all the time.

Memory 120

In the build up to war, many of the Chorleywood staff met the challenge of qualifying in first aid and air raid precautions. Miss Deavin put her experiences into a poem, the extract from which is quoted in Phyllis Monk’s book ‘Though Land Be Out of Sight’:

Of many gaseous substances my ignorance I try and hide But not of Lewisite, C-L or Bromo-benzyl-cyanide, I’ve sniffed at all the tubes and wept at gases lacrimatory, And learnt the use of anti-dim in matters respiratory, I know that there are times when one must needs become a troglodyte, Especially at dusk or on a warm and foggy night, I’ve heard the call of buzzers and of sirens ululatory, And memorised the layout of sheds decontaminatory. Memory 121

During the Second World War, Worcester College was visited by representatives from the Royal Air Force, but not requisitioned. This was probably linked to plans for the Government’s “Black Move’ out of London in case of invasion. The College was close to Spetchley Court where Churchill was to be re-located after an invasion. The Air Ministry offices which were then across the road were to have been the centre of the city’s outer defence line with plans for a road block. Brian Bradnack practised co-ordinating his Home Guard forces from the end of the Baldwin wing, as John, a former student of the 1940s, recalled:

Bradnack had been an army officer in World war I, winning a military cross for bravery. And he had some fun in the Home Guard, defending the college. In an exercise, he claimed to have killed all the attackers, while they claimed to have killed him and the defending troops.

Memory 122

GCSE History students at NCW are currently studying the impact of the Second World War on the people of Britain. They have requested some wartime memories of Chorleywood and Worcester College. Chorleywood was situated north-west of London. Although they were not close enough to evacuate, the girls did have to go down in the cellar whenever there was an air raid, and a bomb did fall on the grounds. Several members of staff were trained as Air Raid Wardens, with one air raid drill described by Miss Monk in a 1939 Report to the Governors:

An exercise was staged at Chorleywood College on 9th December. The ‘Major incident’ included high explosives, incendiary bombs and mustard gas and called out the Fire Brigade, Demolition Squad, Ambulances and First Aid Parties to deal with nine casualties. The Junior School visited local friends during the exercise, and the rest of the school got much interest out of the experience.

Memory 123

Swimming has prompted memories from two current students, Matthew, a Y12 who has swum in international competitions, and Toby, a member of Y8:

Matthew: The Senior Student Team set a Sport Relief Challenge. The target we had to achieve working together was to reach 1460 lengths of the College swimming pool, as this would equate to the stretch of the English Channel from Dover to Calais. I was very satisfied with the amount of lengths that I contributed as I reached 310 lengths. Overall, I am proud to say that as a College we managed to exceed our target and in the process raised a considerable amount of money for Sport Relief. The Sport Relief Challenge showed how many people were willing to put in a lot of hard work to help many different sporting charities.

Toby: I have liked going under water in the swimming pool at New College Worcester. I couldn’t swim at first but now I can because I have swimming lesson every Wednesday.

Memory 124

Unfortunately, we have a rainy morning in Worcester. Today’s Blind Cricket match against visitors from the MCC has been abandoned. In 1999, players from the Australian World Cup team came and experienced batting and bowling while blindfolded. The College magazine included an article by Gareth Davies of The Daily Telegraph describing their experience:

The Australian batsman found the conditions unplayable. In turn Michael Bevan, Shane Lee, Damien Fleming and Adam Dale were bamboozled by flight and guile playing and missing, over after over, against school-age bowlers.

‘Great fun but very difficult,’ was the statement from Fleming after bowling several wides and with not a single run to his name. Bevan said, ‘This visit has made us appreciate the value of sight and how well these guys and girls are doing in their cricket.’

A good day was had by all.

Memory 125

In the days before the development of recognised sports for the visually impaired, the staff at Chorleywood experimented with a variety of outdoor games, as the first headmistress Phyllis Monk described in her book ‘Though Land be out of Sight..’ The Early Years of Chorleywood College:

For the summer we made up a new game that we called Quickit. It was played with a wicker ball and wickets from which the ball could rebound - no batsmen required! But, as no one had invented a ball that would sound after it was still, fielding by a blind player was haphazard. A bowling board was erected, marked out with scores that enabled those practising bowling to be told how near – or far! – their ball lay from the target. Bumble-puppy and a kind of clock-golf were also tried out, especially for those with sight, but netball-tennis for them was the really successful summer game, and became well established in 1929. This was a modification of lawn tennis, using its rules and scoring, but played with a netball which was flung, when served, from the court line, caught and returned after, or before, the first bounce.

Memory 126

PE has also helped with the development of a range of important skills for life. As David, a former student of the 1950s, remembers:

Many students will retain memories of special teachers! One such teacher was Ray Follett. He taught P.E. and swimming (in school time), and rowing and athletics (out of school time) for more than twenty-five years. In the days before formal mobility training was introduced in the mid-60s, he had a range of activities and exercises which were crucial in developing spatial awareness, posture, sense of direction, and the ability to get about safely. And this was in the days when it was assumed that mobility was a god-given gift, and if you didn't have it, then there was nothing that could be done. As well as all this, he ran the Meccano Club, so I wonder when he saw his family?

Memory 127

Worcester and Chorleywood both encouraged students to swim and started by having outdoor pools. New College students have regular swimming lessons in the indoor pool, with some learning the skill and others improving and reaching international standard. Andrew described a successful year in the magazine of 1999.

The swimming year has been good. We have taken the swimming world by storm. When we went to the Disability Sport England Senior Nationals we did well. In the March National Schools Gala 24 students took part. There were new championship records. Katy, Katie-George, Andrew and Darren were selected for the England squad. Katie-George and Andrew have been selected to go to Barcelona for the Spanish Open.

Memory 128

When Worcester College began at the Commandery, the importance of exercise was appreciated. The limited space restricted the scope for sport, but a partial solution was found, as Mary Thomas described in her book of 1937 “The First Seventy Years: Worcester College for the Blind”:

The Commandery garden was used for games and exercise. Stilt-walkers especially reached a high standard of proficiency. The art of stilt-walking must have been pretty hazardous when tournaments were involved, for the boys took sides, stood in rows facing one another, and at the word of command charged their opponents. There were accidents of course, but nothing terrible seems to have happened.

Memory 129

For the boys of Worcester College, rowing was a sport which was first promoted when G.C. Brown was headmaster between 1913 and 1938; he valued the opportunity for the boys to compete against their sighted peers. Alec describes his experiences of rowing in the early 1960s: Rowing was not compulsory, but roughly half the school belonged to the club. The river was, of course, the Severn, a busy river in those days, with commercial traffic voyaging as far as Worcester and beyond. I mention this detail because more than once we were nearly swamped by tankers while rowing. By the time I had worked up to membership of our First Four, I relished the sport and all its associations. As well as physical stamina, rowing demands balance, concentration and timing. The feel of the boat when all four oarsmen are perfectly in tune, is quite exhilarating. You develop an ear for the rhythm of the boat and especially the "bell sounds" of blade cleaving water.

We competed at all of the local regattas. Lounging in a contented state of exhaustion on the picturesque bank of the Avon, opposite the Shakespeare Theatre, is one of many happy memories that floats back through the years, that and being treated to strawberries in the bus going back home.

Memory 130

Girls at New College have taken part in a range of sports, including football. In this account written by Rachel in the College magazine of 1996, they won in the final of a national event held at the Aston Villa Leisure Centre:

This year we started playing and practising once a week. We had enough for two five-a-side teams and one substitute. It came to the final: Worcester A against Exhall Grange. It was a very close game. They took the lead and I think it is a credit to the girls that they didn’t let it slip after the first goal. We got one back. We took the pressure and hit them on the break and got a third and fourth. We won four three. The feeling was really wonderful.

Memory 131

Phyllis Monk, the first headmistress of Chorleywood College, had seen the value of team sports when she had worked at Roedean School. As there were no team sports for students with a visual impairment in the 1920s, she created ‘Sport X’. The girls would play this against other schools, having taught them the rules first. Anne describes the game which she played in the 1950s:

Sport X was based on three sections of field, the central section being twice as large as the two side sections; these were surrounded by a tarmac running track with raised humps at all four corners, and paths separated the small sections from the larger one. Teams consisted of eleven, four partially sighted fielders and seven blind runners. The fielders passed the football to each other after it had been thrown into play by a runner, the aim being to keep passing it to a member of your own team so when the opposition caught the ball they ran to the side path to get the ball across and out of play. The runners could only run whilst their fielders kept the ball, but they were the ones who scored by completing full circuits being guided by tapping baskets at each end and the above mentioned raised corners. Memory 132

Many students and staff are watching Euro 2016. Alec describes playing football in the mid-1950s:

Sport in general and cricket and football in particular, were compulsive ingredients of our daily existence. Football was played in a number of guises. We played informally in the Gym, where I usually played in goal. In this I was helped by having a white ball against the beige colouring of the floor. Back in the common room we continued the game, this time using a rolled up magazine for our ball.

Nor was the "beautiful Game" ignored by the School. For most of my time at Worcester there were just enough boys with just enough sight to put out a team on the full-sized soccer pitch. In a good year we might get 6 fixtures, home and away to blind schools at Bristol and Shrewsbury, and the Secondary Modern from up the road. We sported an Oxbridge strip of light blue with dark blue facings, and thought ourselves quite smart. I usually played left half or left wing, though I had to change wings at half time if it was a sunny day. I scored few goals, finding it hard to focus on the target, but claimed a degree of fame for the ferocity of my tackling!

Unfortunately, one of my epic tackles was on a spectator who ended up at the far side of the running-track.

Memory 133

Chorleywood College for Girls was based in Hertfordshire. It opened in 1921, when the Cedars, a Renaissance-style mansion, was given to the NIB by J.H. Battye. The building had a large conservatory, known as the ‘Winter Garden’ and large grounds, as described by Miss Boreham:

The school was set in beautiful parkland grounds of 32 acres and there were lots of wild rabbits, deer and a good variety of birds. It stood apart from Chorleywood village, being separated by the Common. It was therefore somewhat isolated. Some of the grounds were sold to build the M25 motorway and a badger sett had to be reconstructed to protect the badgers when they were moved. A lot of new housing was built around the school during the latter years which brought civilisation up to the back door.

Memory 134

Lack of space led Worcester College to move to Slaughter’s Court in Powick in 1887, before the generosity of Eliza Warrington led to the purchase of the current site on Whittington Road and the first building work. In 1935, Stewart Lawton described a much smaller College than we have today:

The college itself consists of a long two storied building on the edge of an escarpment overlooking the Severn Valley. It is a pleasant little place in brick and pebble-dash surrounded by lawns and orchards from which can be seen a glorious panorama, terminating in the grassy slopes of the Malvern Hills. In all, we are quite a small family: forty five boys of varying ages from seven to nineteen; a permanent staff of seven energetic graduates, visiting dancing, music and woodwork masters; and a domestic staff of five maids, a matron and a cook, together with a houseman and boot-boys.

Memory 135

Worcester College began 150 years ago down at the Commandery, now a museum, in the centre of Worcester. The College’s facilities were described in a report of 1869:

The College Building is pleasantly situated in safe and spacious grounds, and contains a fine Mediaeval Hall, with a new and very complete organ with two rows of manuals and modern improvements; good class and dining rooms, airy dormitories, lavatory and bath-rooms, gymnasium &c.

Memory 136

Plays were also an important part of the College year for students from Worcester. The NCW archive includes a photograph of the cast of King Lear in 1913. Some plays presented particular challenges for the boys, as becomes evident in this review of ‘Not in the Book’ from the Pimpernel, the College magazine of 1961.

We have seen a number of promising newcomers and at the same time the old hands have pleasantly surprised us by their capability of tackling divers parts. The cast was very well chosen, especially regarding the most difficult part, that of Sylvia Bennett. Sylvia’s deep voice was a little startling at the beginning of the play, but Frank’s portrayal of the part was so convincing that there seemed to be nothing wrong with the voice as the play went on. His movements and reactions, his whole bearing and expressive mimicry were just right, and the spectator forgot there was a boy behind that vivacious and energetic and rather charming woman in her forties. When this play was over the audience looked happy and as if they had enjoyed themselves, as I’m sure they had.

Memory 137

The production of a College play requires not only the demands of performance, but has sometimes required considerable invention in acquiring props. This was obviously the case when the Chorleywood magazine described their 1935 production of Barrie’s children’s play ‘A Kiss for Cinderella’:

The production was not only ambitious in the size of the cast but also in the completeness of its costume effects and stage properties, the most unlikely garments and homely articles, ruthlessly commandeered from the whole establishment, surprisingly proving, upon trial, to be the exact requirements. Even a street scene, complete with lamps and snow-storm, was provided! The whole was exceedingly well cast and all the players entered fully into the spirit of the play.

Memory 138

There is growing excitement as the next College play is about to be cast. Toby, one of our new Y7 students, recalls acting in the College musical in February.

We did a play called Guys and Dolls. I can remember how long it took! All this rehearsing! How many lines did I have to learn? Well, I tell you now, it was a mighty task, people. There were so many practices in which we were all to find a good position, all have the right lines, at the right volume, etc. However, on the days of the performance, I could never have enjoyed myself more. There has never been so much enthusiasm in a performance.

Memory 139

Y7 came back from camp yesterday. Students at New College regularly go on expeditions and trips. Staff spend a lot of time on Risk Assessments to ensure that students are as safe as possible. Health and Safety expectations have changed greatly as Terry, a student of the 1960s, remembers:

I have fond memories of the Welsh trips that Jim Pickles used to organise. Like others I could mention, they provided such an excellent introduction to hill walking and kindled an interest that probably wouldn't have stirred otherwise. On one occasions, we were coming down a steep hill with a stream at the bottom. As we approached the stream, Mr Pickles shouted now ---, you'll have to jump this one! Said person did, from about eight feet up the bank, straight in! Mr Pickles, "Oh, I didn't mean you to do it from there!” Well, no-one got hurt and despite getting regularly soaked, we still came back for more.

Memory 140

Derek, a Worcester resident, who later became a volunteer helping with some of the outdoor activities, remembers the old College swimming pool:

I first went into the College when they used to open up the open air swimming pool to the Scouts and held regular Galas. The students from the College used to participate in it, too. You had a mixture there, and they used to line off the lanes, and my memories is of all the badges we took. All the scouts took their watery badges at the College. So that was my first introduction to the College.The difference from then to later was, if you like, the lack of health and safety! I used to watch the boys getting great pleasure from going up on to the top diving board and jumping off. There was nobody supervising this: they would listen and wait, and please themselves when they jumped. That would never occur later on! I used to have to stand there and tell them when it was safe to jump. In the early days, never. I think it took something away from them, actually, because they had to make the decision themselves.

Memory 141

At New College Worcester, students are currently busy with exams. Today many students are able to use laptops or electronic Braille devices. Very few produce Braille scripts which wasn’t the case in the days before the merger, as Miss Boreham, a former teacher at Chorleywood College, describes:

Saucers of French chalk (like talcum powder) were placed on each exam candidate's desk. The exam papers were produced on Braillon (a plastic paper used to make multiple copies)and it used to get very slippery particularly in the hot weather.

Candidates would dip their fingers in the saucer of chalk to enable them to read more efficiently. Everyone sat in the school gym for exams, except the occasional pupil who had to dictate their script if they didn't know Braille. The exam would then take place in a separate room. Computers were introduced in the closing years of the school but they were very primitive and large, compared with what we have today. They often went wrong and were not considered to be reliable for exams. Therefore, most of the exams were brailled and all the staff had to transcribe the scripts. We often sat up into the early hours of the morning in order to be able to post the exam papers within 24 hours of the exam. Our reward was a tin of toffees between us supplied by the Headteacher each week. One year we were given a bottle of sherry to share!

Memory 142

Girls from schools in Worcester came to Worcester College for regular dance sessions in the gym. Alec describes how he met his first girlfriend:

Sue and I met up at dance class. This was one of Worcester's better ideas when it came to fitting us for the world outside. It took place each Monday night in the College gym, and never failed to attract a sweet-smelling phalanx of partners from the Girls Grammar and The Convent. In my case it came perilously close to clashing with Confirmation classes at the church down the hill, but maybe it was my obvious keenness to race back for the dancing that appealed, at least to Sue.

Memory 143

Chorleywood College was housed in ‘The Cedars’ a Renaissance-style mansion. Anita, one of the final students before the merger, remembers her time at Chorleywood College:

I generally have very good memories of my time there. For me, this was the perfect environment in which to try anything and everything, and we did - sport, music, drama, singing (any time we got on a bus!), and anything else we could think of. Personally, if I were given the chance to turn back time, I wouldn’t change anything about my time at Chorleywood. The things I liked about the place have filled my memory with good recollections and the things I disliked have in hindsight served as a means of consolidating my opinions and strength of mind. I was very comfortable in my Hertfordshire "home". I had everything I could wish for and had grown very used to our way of living and studying and the beautiful surroundings of the college.

Memory 144

College dramatic performances have been a highlight of the year since the early days at the Commandery. Students and staff rise to the challenge, as Miss Rix, the current head of Drama at New College recalls:

When I started teaching at NCW I had never directed a play with a blind cast before. I vividly remember the read through for my first school production – Sparkleshark. I looked around at my cast who were all accessing their script in different ways: braille, large print, audio.. and wondered –how on earth will we ever come together to make this work? But, we did. It was a revelation to me – and continues to be so.

Memory 145

Developments in technology can make information accessible to people with a visual impairment. When the College began at the Commandery in 1866, in an era when Braille had not even been recognized as the best method of reading and writing for blind people, the first headmaster Rev. Hugh Blair struggled to get hold of materials. He described his problems in 1869 (at the time, according to the National Archives website’s currency converter, £24 was the cost of a craftsman’s wages for two days work in the building trade):

Now and then we come across a raised copy of some solitary book of Virgil, or a table of logarithms or a geography, or some such curiosity. Ten to one it is full of mistakes and ten thousand to one it is the only copy extant. In this dilemma, as teachers of the blind, we find ourselves: wanting maps, we have to make them ourselves; wanting geographies, we buy a few, and find them containing more of history and Scripture than of the science they profess to disclose; wanting books in Euclid we wait till they are printed, and then pay £24 for three copies contained in seven volumes each; wanting arithmetics and algebras we must do without them. You see then what we want: maps, globes, slates, writing implements, raised books.

Memory 146

Today’s Royal visit by HRH the Countess of Wessex has led to a search for memories of previous visitors. In 1961, HRH princess Margaret opened the Wolfsen Wing. Brendan, a former student, recalls that:

When stepping from her helicopter onto the front lawn, HRH laddered her stockings. A lady in waiting spoke with the then Matron, Miss Hartwell, who provided a replacement pair. As far as I know, Matron was never rewarded in any way for this vital help.

Memory 147

New College Worcester was formed when Chorleywood College for Girls merged with Worcester College. Susan, a former student in the 1970s, reflects on what she gained from the College.

At Chorleywood, the long view was always taken. Yes, we did our lessons, but not just for that time or that year or the next exam, etc. - everything was structured so that we would be made competent enough to stand on our own in the world and be as good as the next person (if not better) in whatever we chose to excel at because the skills we had were finely honed and tuned. I'm absolutely convinced that this is why I have a good memory, because we were taught that to memorise was a life- saver to us because we did not have the prompts that sighted people have all the time, wherever they go and whatever they are doing. Taking the long view was something I admired then, cherish now, and try to put into practice whenever I can.

Memory 148

Students at New College have been given the chance to take part in a range of extra-curricular activities. In 2002, Vicki described her experience of climbing.

I enjoyed this activity in particular as it gave me the chance to try as many different and varied climbing walls as possible, and it also increased my confidence. I made steady progress, getting some excellent support and encouragement along the way as and when it was needed.

Of course, as a visually impaired person, you sometimes need help to be able to accomplish a certain challenge and this was no different. As I was climbing up the wall, I needed one of the activity coordinators to tell me where to put my hands and feet. Even so, the activity itself brought me great achievement. It was tough sometimes and pretty tiring but at the end of the day every time I reached the top of one wall I had achieved my aim.

Memory 149

Worcester College for the Blind started when the Rev. Blair, a teacher at King’s School Worcester, realized that a College was needed to provide a secondary education for blind boys. Links have been maintained with King’s. In the 1950s, Paul was loaned to cox the Worcester rowing team.

The four rowers needed to hear the voice of the cox continually for their sense of direction, balance and rhythm. My instructions were to keep my face forward without variation so that the crew could focus on the consistent direction of my voice to help their balance. I had to call every stroke and for each introduce a modulation in tone to help them further. My cadence needed to vary so that they could pick up on the rhythm and so row in synchronicity. I remember the humour of the crew, their resilience when our passage through the waters of the Severn was, to say politely, less than smooth or elegant. Also their determination to compete on even terms with other crews in the various Regattas in which we were entered.

Memory 150

New College Worcester began in 1987 when the boys’ school, Worcester College for the Blind, merged with Chorleywood College for Girls. James describes how his life altered.

Perhaps the most notable change for us was the building being altered and adapted. Prior to September 1987 we had all been in the dormitory system, five or six to a room. Moving into the house system we instead came into contact with more people from other years. There were other upshots of the house system, such as having meals in the house as well as in the main school dining room ... and don't forget, a new house parent ... with new ways and ... a family!

There were new experiences like certain members of the house all going out for the week's shopping ... and we had to do some cooking for ourselves in the evening. Ah, now, what do you do with potatoes? Peel them? And precisely how does this peeler thing work? How do you peel them so it doesn't take half an hour for one?

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