We were delighted to welcome back nearly 80 Old Stopfordians, Governors, and their guests to the Old Stopfordians’ Dinner on Saturday 16th March held in Hallam Hall. Old Stopfordians from 1955 through to 2021 and for the first time, their guests, joined in the evening’s events with many a Shaa Martini being consumed.

The evening was once again hosted by Old Stopfordian, Archivist and Master of Ceremonies, Stuart Helm (OS 1964), who will sadly be retiring at the end of March. He will be sorely missed.

Senior School Head, Sarah Capewell, spoke about leaving our legacy and the impact we have on others throughout our lifetime. In doing so, she quoted The Athenian statesman Pericles, believed to have said: "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others”.

Guest Speaker, Holly Hulme (OS 2004), proposed the toast to Old Stopfordians and in her speech, reflected on her time at SGS. She commented: “We were so lucky to have a raft of excellent educators, who helped shape us into individuals, conscious of our place in the world and how we improve it.”

Much laughter was drawn as Holly proceeded to reminisce on some favourite recollections:“I have the most fond memories of the animated storytelling of Mr Urwin, articulating the classics with such passion that the subject has stayed close to my heart ever since and the entirely unique teaching style of Mr Cross, with whom I once got on his feared bad side, falling asleep in class and waking to his face inches from mine, a defining moment of terror, somewhat alleviated by his artistic rendition of the Boney M classic Rasputin, and poor Mr Moylan fresh out of Uni it seemed, who we tormented with hidden fart machines and inside jokes, it was set six maths so we were already a lost cause.”

Following the event, Old Stopfordians President, Kristhanthi Carfrae (OS 2004), shared her thoughts on the evening:

'The Old Stops Dinner was a great success with nearly 80 attendees ranging from OS 1955 to OS 2021.  This year was particularly special for anyone who left in a '4' year so congratulations particularly to the OS 1964 cohort who concluded a week of celebrations with the OS Dinner, OS 1994, and to OS 2004, which is my cohort.  It was great to see so many people attending the dinner, which for the first time was opened to partners and friends to attend and provided a lively atmosphere. The Shaa Martini cocktail went down a treat and I hope this is brought back for future Dinners.'

Our thanks to everyone who joined us for a very excellent evening. Special thanks to Gaz Edwards (OS 2000) who catered the event, the bar staff, Catering Manager Kathy Gosling, and the SGS Caretaking Team.

Photographs taken on the evening can be viewed in the gallery below and the recipe for the Shaa Martini should anyone like to have a go at making one thermselves is listed here:

Shaa Martini
35ml Black Vodka
25ml Kahlua
40ml Espresso Mix
15ml Goldschlager