Saturday 24 June 2023
After months of planning, the sun shone down on the College and we celebrated 150 years of all things Denstone in style. Dubbed “Denstonbury”, the day was filled with good weather, great company, eight hours of music, fine food and lots of smiles!
We welcomed Old Denstonians to the OD Marquee in the Lonsdale Quad from 10am where croissants and coffee were enjoyed by all, many having not seen contemporaries for some years. Kevin Threlfall, Old Denstonian and former Chair of Governors, gave a wonderful talk in Chapel about the history of the College, and ODs of all ages came together to sing favorite hymns such as Jerusalem. Geoffrey Walker could be heard playing the organ, accompanied by OD trumpeter Geoff Soar, who also played with the Big Band on the day!
ODs were served afternoon tea boxes in the marquee, filled with homemade delights such as sandwiches, scones and our famous sausage rolls! Many thanks to the OD Club for sponsoring all refreshments in the OD Marquee, and to current parent Neil Harrison (Nelson's Gin) for providing the bar.
Main gates opened at midday, and the festival stage came alive with Denstone College ensembles including the Orchestra, Big Band and Prep Show Choir. Some of our younger Prep pupils had their first taste of performing in front of a large crowd and they did so well, we are very proud of all the pupils that took part in activities throughout the day, representing the College. The fun run kicked off at 12.30pm, winding throughout the College, the race was won by current parent, and triathlete, Steve Green, well done Steve!
The Big draw was very popular and captured the imagination of many of our guests, resulting in somewhat of a masterpiece. Many thanks to Mrs McKay for organising the Post-it note exhibition around the theme of sustainability, it was wonderful to see what this meant to everyone that participated.
Mrs McKay and her team also curated the exhibition in The Threlfall Library, a wonderful showcase of works from our pupils, and local schools.
We hope that everyone enjoyed the fairground rides, and of course, the Denstone Cornhole Challenge which was in action all day. Thanks to Head of Commercial Enterprise, Mrs Chandler for the idea, inspired by her time at University in America.
The Heritage Centre was opened in the afternoon by Kevin Threlfall. A project comissioned by former member of staff, Judy Teather, and Charlotte Horan, and only made possible due to a generous donation from the OD Club. The Heritage Centre is available to everyone during Café opening hours, with private viewing available by appointment with the development office.
The JCB dancing diggers performed a routine created especially for our Big Birthday, and what a finale it was! Many thanks to the team at JCB for giving up their Saturday afternoon and coming and joining the celebrations.
To everyone that played a part in this very special day, thank you, it only highlighted what a wonderful community we are lucky enough to be a part of.
Yes, very much so!
Every other year would suit me better.
Not at this time, but maybe in the future.
We are delighted to share our video with you and we hope you enjoy reliving the many memories made on the 24th June. Please click on the image below to watch.
To view all official event photos, please click here. Please only share photos with permission of those in the photo.
Further to the disclaimer issued in advance, and during the day regarding photography, we reserve the right to use all photos in marketing material for the College, or by third parties.
