July 15 (Autumn) Template Page1

Manchester
The Manchester OSB Dinner took place on 14th May and attendees were John Boag (FS 74-81), Mark Rocca (School Board member and Chair) (FS 75-80), Roy Calvin (SH 79-83), Sara Calvin (nee Gough) (School Board member) (G 77-84),
Belinda Morvan (nee Gough) (G 79-81), Tim Crossley-Smith (SH 73-78), Matthew Rigby (FS 73-78), Mark George (School Board member), Sarah George (nee Lyall) (L/G 77-85), Dacre Watson (SH 56-62), Rosie Lewis (nee Larkin) (L 77-79), Steve Croasdale (FS 74-80), Andrew Haile (F/SH 76-83), Trent Wallace (FS 73-78), Stephen Mansfield (FS 73-78) and Richard Copsey (FS 71-78), with apologies from a number of the usual attendees, who have promised to turn up next year! The gathering started at 6 pm at the lively Artisan Kitchen and Bar near Spinningfields, with good wine and service, but the choice of beer a bit suspect! Nevertheless a good night was had by all with Messrs Rocca and Croasdale achieving the last men standing award at the Malmaison bar at 3.45am.
Mark Rocca addressed the gathering giving a brief history of what the Board has been doing since the New Year and included the following points: The Whitelaw Building is open for business and a great job has been done by a tenacious and energetic Harry Strong in getting that up and running. The Golf Course – we are trying to get to a point where it will break even. We have appointed a full time green keeper and Mark George has done an excellent job liaising with the club. We will shortly be in contact with them again to see if we can assist in increasing the number of members. Any OSBs in the area, from single figure handy-cappers to dabblers in the hallowed game, are encouraged to join as it would greatly help both the school and the club. Pool and sport facilities – we have one of the largest sports’ sites in West Cumbria, with a variety of facilities, and we will be looking at how we can generate more revenue from these. Property – Sara Calvin has been doing a fantastic job liaising with our property consultant Andrew Graham (FN 79-86), visiting Copeland Council and bringing some sense to the raft of assets the school has. We have School House rented out and the flat at Abbots is occupied. The facilities’ team has been doing a great job looking after the buildings; the grounds are looking fabulous and we have some interested parties wanting to make use of some of the buildings during the summer. Finances are inevitably tight, but with the likely increase in revenue and options for selling off some low key assets that are not crucial for the operation of the school, we should be able to keep our head above water. We also have the full support of the Society, which is assisting the school in meeting some of the costs. As to the real issue of getting education back into school: An advert in the Times Educational Supplement had invited interested parties to signal their interest by 16th May. As responses come in, we will follow them up and, calling on specialist educational expertise, scrutinise proposals vigorously. Mark George is heading up the education team, but the time frame is inevitably lengthy. Many thanks are owed to fellow Board members and all the staff who have been doing a superb job. Dacre Watson also addressed the gathering and said the Society is looking at generating revenue/capital from Lonsdale Terrace, which it will apply for the benefit of the school. He thanked the Board and staff for all their efforts and encouraged all OSBs to keep attending the dinners and keep interest in the school alive and to look forward to a successful outcome. Manchester Dinners will continue – John Boag and Mark Rocca having organised them over the last eight years have now handed over the baton to Roy Calvin. As for London, Tim Crossley-Smith is on the case for organising a dinner in the Autumn – no pressure Tim!