News

This year the House Retreats in the school ran on 18 & 19 October, one of the undoubted highlights of the term. This year St Aidan’s House focussed on the theme “A life lived well”, thinking about their community life and their wider family of St Aidan’s alumni. The community life together in the Houses forms a central tenet of the school’s mission : “The power of an Ampleforth Education is that it is not first of all taught, but lived, shared and embodied in service: a family that grows and flourishes through the unique gift of each and every girl’s and boy’s life and future, and accepting responsibility for each other by the mutual blessing of deep accompaniment.”

The girls of St Aidan’s began their Thursday morning on retreat learning more about the history of St Aidan’s House, layered with fun facts and tales of alumni from years past and the most recent history of St Aidan’s as a girls House. The girls undertook a challenge to see who could spot the true facts about their predecessors, amidst some red herrings, dating back to the foundation of the House nearly 100 years ago.

During their challenge they learned that:

• There are over 1,000 Alumni of St Aidan’s
• Of living Alumni 60% are old boys and 40% are old girls
• Two current members of the monastic community are St Aidan’s Alumni – Fr Richard ffield and Fr William Wright
• 100 St Aidan’s Alumni were members of the Green Room
• 89 were members of the Schola Cantorum
• 44 former first XV players since 1970 are from St Aidan’s
• 4 Captains of Shooting have been in St Aidan’s and 3 Beagle Masters
• Some of the most generous alumni hale from St Aidan’s, including Adrian Randag who gave every penny he had to support bursaries for pupils at the school

Many of the girls were keen to point out their sisters, fathers, cousins, grandfathers and other connections on the St Aidan’s honours boards and in photographs that line the corridors of the modern House. At the end of the morning Emma Craig, Head of Development, who led the session presented the girls with a book detailing the names of all former members of St Aidan’s. This now lives in the House for the girls to read and find out more about those that came before them. Thank you to the Housemistress, Mrs Ceri Dent, for creating this strong connection between the girls of today and the wider St Aidan’s House alumni.

A few weeks after the Retreat saw very sad news shared with the school about two key figures from the House when it became a girls’ house. Miss Antonia Beary, Housemistress 2002-2004 died after a long illness. The day before, Amy Butler (A04) died after a battle with cancer.

Miss Beary was highly regarded as an English teacher at the school for many years, as Housemistress she was instrumental in supporting the early boarding girls at the College. She remained a great friend to Ampleforth after she left the school and will be much missed, particularly on the Lourdes Pilgrimage. Amy was in Antonia’s first intake, a core member of the House and remembered fondly by those who taught her. We join her family in mourning her and she is in the prayers of the whole school but particularly in the House Chapel of St Aidan’s, along with all deceased Alumni of the House.

If you are an Old Girl or Old Boy of St Aidan’s and would like to visit the House you will be made most welcome, please book a visit by contacting: societymail@ampleforth.org.uk