Saturday 1st July saw hundreds of students, staff, parents, and friends of Cobham Hall gather on West Lawn to celebrate Festival Day.
Mr Noyan Nihat, Governor of the School, opened proceedings, followed by Mrs Barrett, whose address reminded us of our students’ extraordinary range of achievements across the last year.
We were then delighted to welcome Cobham Hall Elder and Guest Speaker Miss Amelia Troubridge to the stage. Now a photographer of great renown, Miss Troubridge spoke fondly of her days at Cobham Hall, of the teachers who inspired her and the lifelong friendships she had built. She also spoke of the vital skills she had gained here. Cobham Hall was where she ‘first learned the importance of creative solutions to living life’, and where she was ‘encouraged to thrive’. The ‘interests and desires’ which sparked her career and have been a hallmark of her success were, she said, ‘formed and founded by the adventure I had started when I first came to Cobham; an adventure that let me dream, let me hope, let me experience.’
Miss Troubridge ended with words of advice for our current students: ‘I encourage you to embrace the world that you will go into. Your knowledge and talents, nurtured here at Cobham, are needed in the world… Be a part, however small, of the things you want to change about the world around you.’
Our Guardian, Alyssa, took to the stage to thank Miss Troubridge, after which we were treated to some outstanding performances by our Music and Drama students. Proceedings closed with words from our outgoing Guardian, Rhiannon.
A fine barbecue in Lady Darnley’s Garden, with the backdrop of a fantastic jazz trio, rounded off the day in some style. Congratulations to our prize winners and a huge thanks to our guests, speakers and performers, and to every one of the team who helped made this such a wonderful event.
