Private School News

Young Musican from CHRIST COLLEGE lands lead role in WNO MAX production.

Jonathan in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Christ College Young Musician of the Year, Jonathan Robinson, has been cast as the lead role of Count Heinrich in the forthcoming production by WNO MAX of Judith Weir’s opera The Black Spider, directed by Rhian Hutchings. Invited to audition for the role after having participated in workshops run by the WNO, Jonathan will now have the chance to perform in front of the composer in July.

Christ College’s Director of Music, Richard West, commented, “This is a very fine achievement; it will be a fantastic opportunity for Jonathan to experience authentic operatic rehearsal processes and be a part of such an exciting venture.”

The opera is a work that incorporates both horror and comedy. Count Heinrich has ordered the people in his village to move the trees nearer to his estate in order to provide a shady walk for him on a sunny day. However, this task is not easy and the villagers obviously struggle!

Following this order, a mysterious being in the form of a green man appears and offers to move the trees in exchange for a young lady from the village that he will make his wife. A young, feisty villager named Christina steps up and offers her hand but, as she is set to marry a fellow villager (Carl), she has no intention of going through with the marriage to the green man.

The green man is fully aware of her deceit and kisses her hand. The consequences include the birth of the black spider out of Christina’s hand and the villagers’ attempt to kill the spider that is causing ill health and death and the demise of the village.

Pupils line the streets to welcome home the Royal Welsh Regiment

Christ College pupils welcome home 2RW
Christ College pupils were part of a sizeable gathering that welcomed home soldiers from the Royal Welsh Regiment on Saturday 1st May which marked A Company 2nd Battalion’s official return from Afghanistan.

Following a church service in the morning, the soldiers marched through Brecon at midday, led by The Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh.

The Lord Lieutenant of Powys and a governor of Christ College, Shan Legge-Bourke, presented operational medals and accepted the honorary citizenship of the town on behalf of the Royal Welsh from Lord Mayor of Brecon, Councillor Ieuan Williams.

Brigadier Russ Wardle, head of the Army in Wales, said the Army had a “proud heritage” in Brecon.

He said: “The Royal Welsh, in its previous guises, has been proud to be honoured with the freedom of Brecon and are delighted to be granted this privilege once again.

“Brecon has a significant link to the Army, not only in an historical context over the course of the last century, but as a training ground for the modern-day soldier, and as the headquarters of the Army in Wales.”

CHRIST COLLEGE pupil Josceline has her sights on Commonwealth Games glory

Christ College pupil Josceline Beaumont is being tipped for the top in the sport of shooting, and is setting her sights on Commonwealth Games glory in 2014.

Josceline has been fast-tracked as a future British Olympian after being hand-picked to join the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative. Josceline will receive a cash injection of £1000 towards training and competing after being selected as one of only 270 youngsters from across the UK.

Josceline attended the Cardiff launch of the initiative at the Welsh Institute of Sport earlier this month where she received a masterclass from former British Olympians Iwan Thomas and Leon Taylor.

Josceline said: “Last year I shot for Great Britain twice, against South Africa and Germany, and I am hoping to represent Great Britain again this year. If I do, it would be great to have some success against the best shooters around.”

She added: “Initially I’m looking at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as being a major possibility for me.”

The funding from the Local Heroes Initiative will help Josceline with equipment costs, accommodation and travel and is designed to ensure that more talent reaches the top whilst easing the financial burden placed on parents.

Iwan Thomas, one of Wales’ most recognisable sporting personalities said:”The funding from Lloyds TSB will be a great boost for athletes like Josceline and it will hopefully help them to achieve their true potential.”

The Lloyds TSB initiative in partnership with SportsAid provides support and funding to Great Britain’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond.

The Royal Artillery invite our CCF Cadets to an exercise on SENTA

Cadets with the Royal Artillery
 
Last week, forty of Christ College’s CCF cadets witnessed at first hand the firepower of the Royal Artillery.

The SSI of the Christ College CCF, WO1 Bill Dowling MBE, recently received a visit from Captain Rick Groves of 137 (Java) Battery of 40 Regt Royal Artillery. During their meeting, Captain Groves invited the Christ College CCF to visit the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA) and to join the Royal Artillery at their gun positions and to witness a ‘live firing’ excercise.

The CO of 40 Regt kindly sanctioned the event and forty CCF cadets from Form 3 were taken to the batteries positions on SENTA. Once on the gun line, the cadets were spilt into 4 groups, taking it in turns to stand by the 105mm light guns whilst they were firing. They also visited the command post controlling the gun fire.

WO1 Dowling said: “We are grateful to the Royal Artillery for giving our cadets a chance to witness this demonstration of fire power.”

National Youth Theatre of Wales selection for Jessica

Jessica in CCB’s production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
Lower Sixth Form pupil Jessica Tait has been selected to join the National Youth Theatre of Wales.

From November 2009 through to March 2010 vast numbers of young people from Wales aged between 16 and 25 auditioned for a coveted place with the National Youth Theatre of Wales. Their next production will take place early in September of this year and promises to be very exciting under the direction of Tim Baker with talk of a cast generated script!

Jessica attended her first audition in Cardiff soon after Christmas where she was asked to perform two previously prepared monologues and take part in various group exercises. A three month wait finally produced the long awaited letter inviting Jessica to a call-back audition in Oswestry shortly before Easter.

Over two weekends the organisers saw 65 young people for a second time in order to select the final 45 youngsters who will form the company this year. This final audition was a gruelling combination of duologues, devising, dance and song focussing on characterization and adaptability. These young people are talented performers with a thirst for the lime-light and there is strong competition for those final 45 places.

Jessica is now assured of a place in the 45 strong company who will come together for 5 weeks of concentrated rehearsal during August and September culminating in performances in Aberystwyth, Mold and one further venue which is still to be confirmed.

Head of Drama Amanda Frazer said:
“This is an outstanding achievement but well deserved as many will testify having watched Jessica feature in school productions throughout her time here at Christ College. We are certainly looking forward to supporting her in this new venture and wish her every success in the coming performances.”

Ben helps Wales to a series win against Scotland

Ben in action for Wales
Over the Easter Holidays, 3rd Form pupil Ben Wigmore was selected to represent Wales U16s at Hockey. Ben, who is still only 14 years old, has a further two years to offer to the National team at this age group.

Ben was part of the Wales U16 team that played Scotland in the first International of the season at Wrexham during the Easter weekend. The first match resulted in a win for Wales who totally dominated the game after a somewhat sluggish start with a score of 2 – 0. In the second match Scotland got off to a good start, leading at half time 2 – 0. Wales however took control in the second half of the match. Through excellent teamwork they scored three goals securing a 3 – 2 victory. The final match to end the series was frustrating for the Welsh boys as despite dominating the game in every respect and an extraordinary number of near misses, the final score was 2 – 1 to Scotland. Wales won the series however and it was well deserved.

As mentioned, Ben was selected to play as a member of the 18 man team despite being very young. At 14 he has the prospect of not only this year but two further years in the same age group. His inexperience at this level although initially daunting, did not reflect in his game. He played extremely well in all three matches demonstrating increasing confidence and excellent skill and control of the ball.

Hockey Coach at Christ College Dr Dominic Phelps said: “Having already played on numerous occasions for Christ College’s 1st XI – quite an achievement in itself given Ben’s age – this is a real testament not only to his outstanding ability in hockey but also to the immense amount of hardwork and dedication to the sport that he has put in over recent years. There is little doubt that a future national star is being developed right here at Christ College.”

More ‘Golds’ for Christ College pupils … this time in the Chemistry Olympiad!

Gold Awards at the RSC Chemistry Olympiad

Christ College sixth formers Andi Tao and Lukas Fischer-Wulf are celebrating a gold medal haul at the Chemistry Olympiad.

Head of Chemistry Dr Paul Smith said: “With only the best candidates in the country even entering the Olympiad, to secure 2 Golds is a superb achievement. We have had individual Gold’s in the past but this is a first ‘double’ at Christ College.”

Head of Christ College Mrs Emma Taylor said: “Together with Sean Mui who recently obtained a Gold award in the Biology Olympiad, it proves we have some exceptionally talented young scientists at Christ College. The teaching of science at Christ College has always been a key strength, but the recent investment in new science laboratories is already paying dividends.”

Organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, approximately 2400 candidates entered this year’s Olympiad with Gold Awards given to the top 200 students.

More international and regional hockey honours at Christ College

U16s Welsh Hockey International
Hockey at Christ College continues to go from strength to strength and this has been reflected in a series of national and regional selections.

Christ College pupil Ben Wigmore, from Llanfrynach near Brecon, has been selected to play for Wales at U16 level.

Ben, who is only 14 years old, will now train as part of the 23 man Welsh squad and can look forward to earning his first national cap over the Easter holidays.

Hockey Coach at Christ College Dr Dominic Phelps said: “Having already played on numerous occasions for Christ College’s 1st XI – quite an achievement in itself given Ben’s age – this is a real testament not only to his outstanding ability in hockey but also to the immense amount of hardwork and dedication to the sport that he has put in over recent years. There is little doubt that a future national star is being developed right here at Christ College.”

In additional to Ben’s national selection, five Fifth Form girls from Christ College have been selected for the U16s South East Wales Regional Hockey Team/Squad. They are Rachel Hope and Amy Bilbrough (defence), Beatrice Wigmore and Lottie McKenzie (forwards) and Fern Bowkett (goal keeper).

The five girls also represented their county team in the 2009-2010 season. Jan Levy , coach for Powys U16s said:” I am delighted that the girls have been selected for their outstanding hockey skills and ability.
SE Wales Team members
They have progressed from representing their county in hockey to representing the South East Wales Region. In November the Powys Under 16s team were the “plate winners” of the “South Wales County Schoolgirl U16 Finals 2009″, captained by Amy Bilbrough with Rachel Hope as vice captain. I am very proud of them.”

South East Wales Regional Coach Geoff Roderick said:

“I am delighted to have such a strong contingent from Christ College in the squad/team this year. The girls are making a significant contribution to the Regional Team. They have attended regular training sessions and last weekend they played in the fixture against South West Wales, winning 7-0 in the first match and drawing their second match.”

In their latest match, played on 6th March, South East Wales beat Surrey Juniors 5-1. The standard of play from SE Wales was exceptional. The score was 1-1 at half time. Surrey are currently the England county champions and have about 5 players either playing for England U16s hockey or are in the process of attending the selection trials. The CCB girls all played their part in this impressive victory.

Gold medal winner from Christ College at the British Biology Olympiad

Since 1997, Christ College sixth form pupils have competed in the British Biology Olympiad, run by the Society of Biology (formerly the Institute of Biology). There have been many individual successes along ther way and a collective success in 2005 when Christ College won best school in Wales.

Gold medal winner at the British Biology Olympiad
In this year’s British Biology Olympiad, Sean Mui has created history at Christ College by winning our first Gold medal since Christ College has been competing in the competition. Sean, whose home is in Hong Kong, joined Christ College in September 2008 and is studying Biology, Chemistry, History and Art at A level. Sean is currently applying to universities with a view to studying Archaeology & Anthropology.

Head of Biology, Mr Mark Sims said: “This achievement puts Sean in the top 80 of the 1500 or so entrants, all of whom are the top two or three biologists in their own schools. It is quite an achievement!”

Head of Christ College Mrs Emma Taylor said: “Sean plays a full part in school life at Christ College. She holds down positions of responsibility in that she is a School Prefect and is the Overseas Pupils Liaison. She is a popular member of the Chapel Choir and plays a full part in house activities. Her success in the British Biology Olympiad should be viewed against this backdrop. We’re very proud of her!”

The British Biology Olympiad (BBO) is an annual competition for post-16 students. It is part of the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) and for the past fourteen years it has been associated with the Institute of Biology which provides administrative support for the BBO Committee.

Since the establishment of the BBO in 1995 the numbers of participating students have steadily increased and it regularly attracts about 1500 entrants from all types of school from across the UK. The BBO is run by a volunteer committee of experienced teachers and lecturers who set and mark the questions as well as undertaking innumerable other tasks. Medals are presented to the winners by the BBO President at an annual awards ceremony in London. The current President is Professor Steve Jones. Past Presidents have included Professor Colin Blakemore, Lord Robert Winston and Baroness Susan Greenfield.

The BBO tries to challenge and stimulate gifted students with an interest in Biology to expand and extend their talents. In offering a wider syllabus than A-level, it allows gifted students to demonstrate their knowledge and to be suitably rewarded and publicly recognised by the award of medals, certificates and other prizes. It is hoped that competing in the Olympiad will encourage students already interested in this valuable, wide-ranging and rewarding subject to continue their study beyond A-level.

In addition to encouraging and rewarding pupils in their studies the BBO provides a means of selecting a team to represent UK at the IBO. The IBO, underwritten by UNESCO, seeks to challenge by both theory and practical tests some of the top pre-university biology students in the world, with over 50 countries taking part.

Netball teams achieve a ‘clean sweep’ against local rivals

The strength and quality of Netball at Christ College has never been in doubt. Recent successes in the County play-offs have meant that Christ College will go on to represent Powys at the National inter-county tournaments at U19 & U16 level.

However the performances of all of our netball teams today (10th March) against Llandovery College has shown that Christ College has strength in depth throughout the year groups.

Friendly rivalry with Llandovery College was resumed on the Netball court this afternoon with six fixtures being played. The results were as follows:

CCB 1st VII 34 – 7 Llandovery College 1st VII

CCB 2nd VII 25 – 17 Llandovery College 2nd VII

CCB U15 VII 43 – 2 Llandovery College U15 VII

CCB U14 VII 34 – 0 Llandovery College U14 VII*

CCB U13 VII 22 – 1 Llandovery College U13 VII*

CCB U12 VII 8 – 0 Llandovery College U12 VII*

* – Played at Llandovery College

This clean sweep of victories by Christ College Netball teams in the six fixtures today follows the clean sweep of victories achieved by the girls hockey teams in fixtures played in October.

Netball coach Mrs Lynne Webber said: “The girls were superb. What more could I ask of them? I’m very pleased with the performance of every team but I’m sure the rest of the girls won’t mind me saying how proud I am of the performance of our U12s team.”

The BBC Radio Wales ‘Jamie & Louise’ show – Live from Christ College

Former Christ College pupil and now BBC Wales Today presenter Jamie Owen returned to Christ College on Thursday 4th March. Jamie hosts his BBC Radio Wales show with Louise Elliott every weekday morning from 9.00 am until 12 midday.

You may have heard about the massive red scarf which Louise and Jamie have been organising with the help of their listeners from all over Wales, showing support for the Wales rugby squad in their Six Nations campaign. The scarf is now over a mile long (and growing). After the Six Nations, they’re going to use the scarf to help some good causes.

Louise and Jamie are taking their show on tour around Wales bringing the Big Red Scarf with them and they came to Christ College, Brecon on Thursday 4th March. They met Christ College pupils and staff but also met pupils from Ysgol y Bannau, as well as members of the local community.

They were inundated with red scarfs to add to their growing ‘Big Red Scarf’. If you want to see some pictures and videos about the scarf, please go to their website by clicking here. You can listen to them on 882 AM in the Brecon area or on 93-96 and 104 FM across Wales as well as on-line and on Digital TV.

Over 125 voices in Choral Spectacular

The Christ College tradition of choral singing showed itself to be thriving in a splendid concert in Brecon Cathedral on Saturday 27th February which brought together all of the school’s choral groups. Alway Singers, both the Female and Male Voice Choirs, and the Chapel Choir all sang individually before joining forces with the Choral Society in music by Fauré.

A fine orchestra of professional musicians had been assembled to accompany the Chapel Choir under their director Jonathan Cooper in Constant Lambert’s Jazz Age classic The Rio Grande. The singers coped admirably with the technically demanding rhythms and harmonies of the work and produced a warm tone in the quieter moments. The percussion section, led by CCB percussion tutor Gareth Hamlin, drove the rhythms forward with a wide range of instruments, and the pyrotechnic piano solo played by Director of Music Richard West was suitably fiery. The rich contralto voice of Flora York Skinner was the finishing touch to a fine performance of this exciting work.

In contrast the Female Choir excelled in Schubert’s familiar setting of the 23rd Psalm. The girls sang with control and suitably angelic tone in well-shaped phrases with clear diction, even singing in German. The Alway Singers took us back to jazz, swinging their way through Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm with a real sense of enjoyment but without losing any musicality or clarity. The first half ended with appropriate hwyl for the approach of St David’s Day as the Male Voice Choir gave us arrangements of Kumbayah and We’ll keep a welcome. This was an authentic male voice sound with quality as well as volume, and it was hard to recognise that these were still young voices.

The Choirs of Christ CollegeThe second half belonged to the Choral Society. All the choirs joined forces and were augmented by adult members of the school community and local friends for sacred music by Gabriel Faure. Cantique de Jean Racine and the Requiem are two pillars of the choral repertoire which demand sensitive singing and present some musical challenges. Led by Director of Music Richard West with strings and horns and Jonathan Cooper at the organ, the massed voices of almost 130 singers produced a fine performance. In Nicholas Gedge there was an outstanding baritone soloist to inspire the many students in Christ College taking individual singing lessons. One such student, Anna John, sang the famous Pie Jesu with considerable style. As well as the tone of sweet innocence implied in the setting, Anna sang with musical phrasing and accurate intonation, suggesting a talent that will grow as her voice matures. The short Cantique showed that Richard West has his singers producing a full tone and long lines, the lower parts particularly making the most of their melodies. The Requiem gave the female voices chances to shine in the choruses of angels and it was particularly good to hear the tenors, always a difficult part for school choirs, holding their line with such clarity and confidence. Despite a moment of uncertainty in the second movement, this was a confident and assured performance with the singers’ enjoyment of singing shining through.

A large audience applauded the assembled performers enthusiastically. Messrs West and Cooper had worked tirelessly to produce so much quality music from so many singers; the congratulations were well deserved.

Head Emma Taylor paid tribute to all that contributed, especially Director of Music Mr Richard West and Director of Choral Music Mr Jonathan Cooper, saying: “It was an excellent event and greatly appreciated by all the parents and members of the public who attended. Many congratulations to Richard and Jonathan; lots of hard work but what a result!”

New eventing course set to benefit Christ College equestrians

Pupils at Christ College and equestrian enthusiasts in the local area are set to benefit from a sponsorship deal between Christ College and the Brecon & Talybont Hunt Pony Club.

The five year deal will see Christ College become a key partner with the club and assisting them in the development of the planned new cross country course at Glanusk Park in the Usk Valley. Christ College will also help to promote the new equestrian facility, ensuring new and more experienced riders are able to take part.

Liza Watson, District Commissioner of the local Pony Club said: “We have an extraordinary opportunity, with the support of Christ College, to build a flagship course and to bring the best of riding opportunities to the children in the area.”

Situated between Brecon and Abergavenny, the project at Glanusk will be designed by David Evans, who was part of the team who designed and built the of 2008 Olympic course, and is being built and project-managed by accredited British Eventing designer, Dominic Moore. This will ensure the course has a full range of fences of a standard to hold Pony Club area and regional competitions.

It will provide the facilities to hold at least three two-day competitions per year, as well as Pony Club rallies, an exciting prospect for the already established Christ College Equestrian Team.

Steve Maggs, Development Director at Christ College said: “We are really looking forward to working with the local Pony Club in establishing this new facility and to play a prominent role in their events.”

Christ College already boasts an international equestrian in the form of 14 year old Lauren Williams who has represented Wales in polocross, and is also a member of the Brecon & Talybont Hunt Pony Club.

For younger and less-experienced riders, the plans for Glanusk Park also include development of a ‘mini’ course, which will introduce new riders to cross-country jumps.

Old Breconian Sgt Ed Griffiths has had a busy start to 2010.

Old Breconian and RAF Search & Rescue’s Sgt Ed Griffiths explains to the BBC how the adverse weather has kept him and his colleagues busy at the beginning of 2010. Please click here.

Ed returned to Christ College last year and delivered a presentation in the chapel to current pupils about his role as a winchman with the RAF Search & Rescue team stationed at RAF Valley on Anglesey.

Ed is a such a real-life action hero, helping to rescue people from some of the UK’s most treacherous mountains in all sorts of weathers, that in May he was the inspiration for a new Action Man-style figure. Ed said that this rates as one of the best experiences of his career!

The Hubert Jones Science Centre wins a major award

The Hubert Jones Science Centre at Christ College, constructed off site by Yorkon, has won the Building Schools for the Future Award at the Builder and Engineer Awards.

The Hubert Jones Science Centre
Designed by P+HS Architects, the science centre provides facilities which are unrivalled in Wales, as part of the school’s major commitment to help develop the next generation of young scientists.

The award recognised the project’s high quality design and how it applied education construction best practice to a scheme built off site. The construction team successfully delivered an exceptional building that will inspire pupils to study science, and which is also highly sustainable and flexible.

The use of off-site construction ensured completion of the centre in just five months despite the challenging site, minimising any disturbance to staff and pupils. 16 steel-framed building modules were manufactured off site in York and craned into position during school holidays to further minimise any disruption to teaching.

Christ College was founded by Royal Charter in 1541 by King Henry VIII and has buildings on its campus, which date back to the 13th Century. Because of this and the building’s sensitive location in the Brecon Beacons National Park, the design incorporated local materials such as Welsh sandstone from Llangorse Quarry, together with render and timber cladding to complement the surrounding architecture.

The scheme also features a number of sustainable measures to minimise impact on the environment, such as solar water heating to reduce energy consumption, energy-efficient lighting, natural ventilation and daylight, and high levels of insulation to conserve energy.

The two-storey building expands the science facilities at this independent boarding and day school, bringing all the laboratories together under one roof and replacing an outdated 1950s block.

Biology lesson
Two physics and two biology laboratories, a sixth form project room, and laboratory technician’s rooms are grouped around a double height central atrium that functions as an additional teaching area and exhibition space. This central ‘street’ also allows pupils to move through the space at peak times and gather informally before and after lessons.

The building has been designed to be flexible and adaptable to change. The internal walls are non load-bearing and there are clear internal spans of up to 12m, so the teaching spaces and laboratories can easily be reconfigured to meet the school’s changing requirements over time.

Christ College salutes the work of The Prince’s Trust

Gerry O’Sullivan, Emma Taylor and Lisa Rogers (BBC Wales)
A Prince’s Trust Cymru worker from Caerphilly has won a prestigious award, sponsored by Christ College, for her passion and dedication when helping young people.

Gerry O’Sullivan, 44, scooped the The Prince’s Trust Staff Award at the Prince’s Trust Cymru’s Celebrate Success awards ceremony held in the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff last week.

Gerry has been involved with The Trust since 1998, when she was seconded by her previous employer as a Team Leader for the Trust’s Team Programme, a scheme designed to build young peoples’ confidence and prepare them for employment. Her experiences with the Trust gave Gerry the motivation to want to help more young people and she applied for a full-time position with the charity.

As programme manager for xl in Wales, a programme that helps young people who face difficulties at school, Gerry’s passion and dedication has shone through, helping the Trust grant a record 3,000 young people with an xl Award this year. Her hands-on approach has enabled her to develop strong relationships with partners, staff and young people and she also organises celebration events and conferences for xl Advisors, to offer further support and advice to young people.

Emma Taylor and Gerry O’Sullivan
Gerry said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have won this award, especially as I know that all the other nominees were so strong. The real reward for me, however, is that I get to work with such inspiring young people day in, day out, who are taking real steps to change their lives for the better.”

The Prince’s Trust Cymru Celebrate Success awards are designed to recognise the exceptional achievements made by young people who have overcome significant barriers to develop their skills and are now successfully in employment, training or education. The awards also recognise the dedication and inspiration of the youth charity’s volunteers and staff throughout Wales who have supported more than 3,000 young people on The Prince’s Trust Cymru programmes in Wales over the past year.

Rick Libbey, director of the Prince’s Trust Cymru, said: “It’s with staff members like Gerry that we are able to help individuals with disadvantaged backgrounds who deserve a second chance in life and are in need of a stepping-stone to achieve better skills and better prospects.

“The Celebrate Success Awards really shine a light on some of the amazing journeys our young people have made to change their lives, and every story from our nominees is an inspiration to others. It just goes to show exactly what can be achieved with the right support. The awards are also an opportunity to step back and thank the exceptional work that our staff and volunteers do to make a real difference to the lives of our young people.”

Head of Christ College, Emma Taylor said “Christ College and the Prince’s Trust share the same DNA – a desire to get the very best out of young people. We therefore jumped at the chance to sponsor this award, because nothing is more important to young people than talented, dedicated staff who are committed to them and their interests. Gerry clearly has these qualities in abundance and we congratulate her wholeheartedly on the recognition this award brings.”

The awards – which are now in their seventh year in Wales – are a UK-wide award campaign to recognise the achievements of those involved in The Trust.

Rugby at Christ College scores with a major Welsh PLC sponsorship deal

New sponsors unveiled at Christ College
Rugby teams at Christ College Brecon are set to benefit from one of the largest ever sporting sponsorship deals in the schools history.

Welsh insurance broking to financial services company Thomas, Carroll Group PLC – which is shortly to establish its first office in Brecon – has signed a support package to sponsor and part-fund the school’s rugby activities over the next three years.

True to its major sporting connections – including headline sponsorship of local cricket leagues in South Wales – Thomas, Carroll brought in two of its most prominent insurance broking directors to complete the signing – Wales and British Lions rugby greats Brynmor Williams and Robert Jones MBE.

They were joined by their new colleague Des Parry, also a keen sportsman and coach, who will head up the new Brecon office when it opens shortly.

The company’s heraldic Pendragon emblem and name will now appear on the front of College rugby shirts, led by the 1st XV and 2nd XV sides. As well as funding kit, the sponsorship package will also help in the purchase of updated rugby equipment as required by the school in coming years.

Brynmor Williams, 1st XV Captain Max Proctor & Robert Jones MBE
Announcing the contract, Steve Maggs, Development Director at Christ College said: “We are delighted to be able to unveil the Thomas, Carroll Group PLC as sponsors of rugby at Christ College Brecon. We look forward to working with them over the next three years and beyond, to ensure that all pupils who enjoy rugby at Christ College receive the benefit of their investment.”

Des Parry, Senior Account Executive of Thomas, Carroll Brecon said: “Having personally been involved in Brecon’s sporting life for many years; I am thrilled to be bringing this welcome sponsorship and support to Christ College. This is just start of Thomas, Carroll’s relationship with the school and I am sure we will be actively supporting more areas of the school’s sporting and other activities in years to come.”

Steve Maggs added: “It is an added bonus that we are able to call on professionals like Robert Jones MBE and Brynmor Williams, who not only understand the intricacies of the commercial world, but have first hand experience of the sporting world at the highest level. We see this development as a partnership and look forward to building our own development activities with this important Welsh plc in future.”

Christ College welcomes The Rt Hon Lord Justice Thomas

On Friday 13th November, Christ College welcomed The Rt Hon Lord Justice Thomas to deliver the 2009 Lord Atkin Lecture, the seventh annual lecture given in memory of this illustrious Old Breconian.

Lord Justice Thomas, whose father was a pupil at Christ College, delivered a very thought-provoking lecture titled The Criminal Justice System: Judges and the Public. A large audience made up of the whole Sixth Form as well as specially invited guests listened intently to an enthralling lecture in which the speaker outlined the context of crime and punishment through the ages, shared his observations on trial by jury and the role of the jury in other legal systems, and explained the public consultation process on sentencing guidelines and their application by judges. Lord Justice Thomas also answered a series of challenging questions from an appreciative audience.

Prior to the lecture, Lord Justice Thomas was welcomed to Christ College by Head Mrs Emma Taylor, Head of School Owen Silk and Deputy Head of School Laura Jones.

After his lecture, Lord Justice Thomas joined invited guests at a drinks reception sponsored by the Thomas, Carroll Group. At the reception, Lord Justice Thomas met other Sixth Form pupils, as well as reacquainting himself with former colleagues in the criminal justice system. Afterwards the Head hosted a formal dinner in his honour at which she was delighted to welcome the grandchildren of Lord Atkin himself.

Lord Justice Thomas was called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1969; appointed as a QC 1984; appointed as a Recorder 1987-96; became a High Court Judge (Queen’s Bench Division) 1996-2003; was Presiding Judge (Wales and Chester Circuit) between 1998-2001; was Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales between 2003-2006 ; and has been a Lord Justice of Appeal since 2003.

Senior Girls’ Cross Country Team crowned Welsh Champions again!

Welsh Champions 2009
In horrendous conditions the Christ College Senior Girls’ team ploughed through the mud and rain to bring home the silverware and retain their title of Welsh Champions.

Having won the trophy last year the girls were delighted to repeat their success this year, and with most of the team available next year a hat-trick of wins remains a possibility.

Potential future Welsh International Ellie Davies led the team home in 15th overall position, followed by Hannah Meinertzhagen in 20th.

Good packing by team captain Ellen Gowans finishing in 22nd place, closely followed by Sophie Meinertzhagen 23rd and Natasha Trigg 24th ensured overall victory.

The Welsh Schools Athletics Association’s Inter Schools Cross Country championships took place on the 14th November at Penlan, Brecon.

Christ College CCF crowned overall champions at the 2009 Cambrian Patrol

Christ College’s CCF have won the overall 2009 Cadet Cambrian Patrol, overpowering all of their opponents along the way.

On the weekend of 18th – 20th September, Senior and Junior teams from Christ College Brecon CCF participated in the annual Cadet Cambrian Patrol which was held on the Sennybridge Training Area.

This is Wales’, indeed, the UK’s, premier cadet event and consists of a long day of patrolling and skills tests and an overnight bivouac followed by a ‘march and shoot’ the following day. This year’s event proved as demanding as ever, with over 200 cadets from all over Wales proving themselves on it, although the weather was uncharacteristically fine for the event.

The teams from Christ College performed admirably – demonstrating high levels of fitness, fieldcraft skills, teamwork shooting and discipline. The Junior Team were awarded the Gold Standard whilst the Seniors were just short of this with Silver Standard. Collectively, the two teams won the overall CFF trophy by an impressive margin from their nearest rivals and have set a new benchmark for next year’s teams to meet.