A message from the Chair, The Lord Stafford
Dear Members, I want to offer a very warm welcome to our newest Society members, the College Leavers from the class of 2024 and the new parents at the College who have now joined our ranks.
Dear Members, I want to offer a very warm welcome to our newest Society members, the College Leavers from the class of 2024 and the new parents at the College who have now joined our ranks.
The OARFC will celebrate Four Decades of Rugby Excellence at Ampleforth on Saturday 28 September at a lunch in Easingwold.
On Tuesday 25 June, 14 Old Amplefordians gathered in New York for a wonderful dinner with Fr Wulstan Peterburs, Chair of the Abbey Trust, and Emma Craig, Head of Development at Ampleforth College.
Friday 21 June saw the Ampleforth Society cohost, alongside representatives from Ampleforth College and Ampleforth Abbey, the liveliest drinks reception at El Invernadero de Los Penotes, Madrid. Around 70 Old Amplefordians, former, current and prospective parents and former Gilling Castle students joined together to celebrate their connections to Ampleforth, reunite friendships and catch up on news from the valley.
The sun shone in the Pyrenees as the Ampleforth charter flight landed in Lourdes airport for the 2024 Ampleforth Lourdes Pilgrimage. This year 270 pilgrims joined together at the shrine for a very happy and meaningful week together, following a brilliant Stage the week before for the more hardcore “back-to-backers” who undertook a week’s service to the wider Lourdes Hospitalite in the run up to the main event.
Since the 1980s a steady stream of boys and girls have joined Ampleforth from Hong Kong, and more recently mainland China too (including next year’s Deputy Head Monitor, Anastasia).
The sun may not have shone all weekend, but Exhibition 2024 was bright and cheerful, with the whole school community in fine spirits across the weekend. Old Amplefordians, Parents and families were all part of this celebration of the school, in a year that has gone from success to success for Ampleforth. At the heart of it were the boys and girls themselves, it was a celebration of them.
We are thrilled to announce that Robert Rigby (T79) has been elected the new Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Westminster.
The Ampleforth Society Spring and Summer social season is well underway and kicked off in Cirencester with Mass & Dinner in the Cotswolds on the 25 April.
Saturday 16 March saw the return to the Ampleforth valley of many sporting heroes of the last few years to play their sport in OA teams against current College sides. The weather was fine, spirits were high and wild predictions as to who would win abounded. Nothing would stop the enthusiasm of the day.
Andrew Sparke (D83) and Niamh (Yr12) have written wonderful accounts of their experiences of the weekend celebrating the 50 plus years of the Ampleforth College Schola Cantorum.
The Old Amplefordian Cross Country squad returned to the valley to take on the College on the afternoon of Saturday 20 January. The day was cold, wet and ground muddy and conditions just right for those taking on the 7.5km Senior Course.
Full Boarding & Day School for students aged 11 to 18