Lord Mayor attends school’s Speech Day

Christ’s Hospital School, near Horsham, was delighted to welcome the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of the City of London and the Mayoral Party on Speech Day (24 May), an annual day on which prizes are presented to the Grecians (Upper Sixth Formers) for their achievements and speeches are made by guest speakers.
Lord Mayor of the City of London, Fiona Woolf CBE, was invited to Christ's Hospital Speech Day SUS-140618-111450001Lord Mayor of the City of London, Fiona Woolf CBE, was invited to Christ's Hospital Speech Day SUS-140618-111450001
Lord Mayor of the City of London, Fiona Woolf CBE, was invited to Christ's Hospital Speech Day SUS-140618-111450001

Over 700 guests - parents, governors and friends of the School - attended a Chapel service and watched the March Past by 870 pupils to the accompaniment of the School’s Band, soon to be seen entertaining the crowd at Lord’s for the 1st Test.

Just before the March Past, all eyes, including the cameras of a French film crew, were on the two junior pupils (Hannah Norfolk and Conor Stewart) who, only in their first year at the School, marched confidently across the silent Quadrangle to present the Lord Mayor with a bouquet of flowers.

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The crowd broke the silence by giving them a loud applause. More praise was to follow during the prize giving and speeches when the Senior Grecian (Head Pupil) Florence Carr Smith, gave an oration to which the Lord Mayor responded and senior pupils were presented with awards recognising academic achievement, leadership, international relations, outward bound activities and creative writing – to name but a few.

The day finished with an informal lunch and an opportunity for visitors to see the recently opened Grecians’ Art Exhibition. Just before her departure, The Lord Mayor was interviewed for France 2 TV for a news piece about great British traditions.

Alderman Fiona Woolf CBE is only the second woman to hold the role of Lord Mayor of London since 1189.

When Christ’s Hospital was founded in 1552, it was the Lord Mayor of the day, Sir Richard Dobbs, who gathered a committee of thirty to raise money following Edward VI’s move set up Christ’s Hospital for the education of boys and girls.

Report contributed by Christ’s Hospital. Pictures by Nick Panagakis.

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