Saturday 2nd July saw hundreds of students, staff, parents and friends of Cobham Hall gather on West Lawn to celebrate Festival Day – due to Covid, the first time we had been able to do so in person since 2019.
Mr Antony Spencer, CEO of The Mill Hill School Foundation, opened proceedings, marking Cobham’s transition since then to a place at the heart of the Foundation. In her address, Mrs Barrett highlighted the remarkable resilience our Year 13 students in particular had shown in the face of the pandemic, and celebrated the School’s position of strength as an exciting new era begins.
“Life can be random, so you have to look to create opportunities along the way. With the sense of purpose instilled in you by Cobham, you will be supremely well placed to do so.”
A rousing medley of songs from Hairspray by students followed, along with by a beautiful choral performance by Benesonantes. We were then delighted to welcome Cobham Hall Elder and Guest Speaker Ms Sophie Mallinckrodt to the stage. Now a barrister, Ms Mallinckrodt spoke fondly of her days at Cobham Hall, the teachers who inspired her and the lifelong friendships she had built. She also spoke of the vital skills she had learned here: of the ‘independence and resourcefulness’, ‘can-do attitude’ and ‘philosophy of self-reliance’ Cobham engendered. ‘I acquired critical thinking skills at Cobham and Cambridge [where she studied Law] that are important in the workplace today,’ Ms Mallinckrodt said, ending with words of advice for our current students: ‘At Cobham, you have been given independence, and you have learned to be resilient. You know that with freedom comes responsibility. You are all good citizens,’ she said. ‘Life can be random, so you have to look to create opportunities along the way. With the sense of purpose instilled in you by Cobham, you will be supremely well placed to do so.’ After presentation of the prizes, our outgoing Guardian, Hafizah, added her own thoughts: ‘Here at Cobham we are so fortunate to have such a close community – which you can truly describe as being like a family,’ she said. ‘This is what makes Cobham so special – regardless of who you are, you’re made to feel welcome and part of a caring community.’
“At Cobham, you have been given independence, and you have learned to be resilient. You know that with freedom comes responsibility. You are all good citizens.”
A fine barbecue, served under brilliant sunshine in Lady Darnley’s Garden and accompanied by a superb jazz trio, rounded off the day. Congratulations to our prize winners and huge thanks to our guests, speakers and performers, and to every one of the team who made this such a wonderful event.
“This is what makes Cobham so special – regardless of who you are, you’re made to feel welcome and part of a caring community.”