Alan Rusbridger OC, editor of ‘The Guardian’ newspaper since 1995 returned to Cranleigh where he was a pupil in the early 1970s as Guest of Honour on the School’s annual Speech Day and Prize-Giving on Sunday 29th June. In his address Mr Rusbridger broke the ice with a hilarious anecdote about setting fire to an armchair with an illegal toaster in his Boarding House and amused listeners with extracts from his School reports. On a more serious note, however, he explained how his time in 1 North (then called) had built his confidence and spoke of all the richness of drama, music, film and sport he enjoyed, along with his studies. He spoke of how much his current pastimes derive from his time at the School, such as practising the piano every day and playing chamber music with friends. 

 

Mr Rusbridger talked of the fast-changing world of the modern newspaper and how journalists these days very much have to work as teams; again, his time at Cranleigh was a valuable training for such team-work. In his own speech, the Head, Guy Waller, talked of the School’s aim to offer ‘as broad an educational experience as possible, an experience centred on activity and team-playing in their widest sense’. He paid tribute to all the School’s staff, including the teachers moving on or retiring, the most senior of whom, Dr Derek Morrison-Smith, retires having taught Physics at the School for 27 years.

 

The welcome speech was given by the Chairman of the School’s Governing Body, Anthony Townsend, who set out the target of the School’s recently launched charity the Cranleigh Foundation, to raise £800,000 a year for the next five years. As well as funding capital projects, such as the planned new Art and Design Centre, the Foundation will allow more local pupils from less affluent homes to benefit from Cranleigh’s broad education through awards and bursaries.

Many aspects of this broad education were on display during the rest of the day, with exhibitions of art, design and poetry; five separate concerts; a cricket match; and presentations on the pupil’s successes in the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race and in winning the National Youth Parliament Competition.

PJL

 

The full text of Guy Waller’s speech will, as usual, be published on this web-site shortly.