THE GREAT ESCAPE
Old Verlucians 'great escape' to the Abbey Hotel in Bath.
OV Bath Drinks is a great event to host at a fantastic central location in Bath, The Escape at the Abbey Hotel. There was still some chatter about last year’s event being called off due to the “Beast from the East”, so clearly it is a date that is much looked forward to.
A cross section of OVs joined the event, ranging from our wonderful Macdonald Boys, St Monica’s ladies, former staff members, OV Governors, and youngsters such as OV14s. Even a father and his 2 sons joined the event, all of them OVs. What was great about the evening was that at least half of the OVs that came were new and as always at OV events, everyone mixed and shared stories and tales of their time spent at Warminster. Some truly hilarious stories were recounted!
The Escape is the perfect underground venue and created the right kind of atmosphere to reminisce and relive time spent at the School. Plenty of nooks and crannies to chat in more intimate groups with a large communal space to chat in as everyone arrived. The OVs had only good things to say about the School and the direction that it is moving in.
“The latest Bath Drinks for OVs to meet up was at a great underground venue in the heart of the city. It gave me the chance to meet up with a couple of class mates and bring them along and also reconnect with some of the other OVs I'd met two years earlier – incredible how easy it was to pick up conversations from where we left off. I had great fun seeing my friends meet their former teachers, Mr Cox, Mr Porteous and Ms Sharpe – all on cracking comic form and full of stories and memories of our time there and beyond. Mr Cox has an incredible, personal, photographic archive on his Ipad which is worth making the effort to attend the evening for in itself! We met up with a great variety of people from numerous graduating years, some making us feel quite, quite old now but the welcome was as fond as ever! Thanks to the School for getting this whole OVs thing going again. It's not quite a time machine sadly, but it does make you smile, a lot.” Keely Beresford (OV90)
“After years of trying to get to an OV event, I'd contacted Stella for possible attendance at the Bath drinks I actually stressed the MAYBE I will attend! I made the effort and was thoroughly pleased I did. Was great to see faces from the past and catch up on the last twenty or so years. Well done to Stella and the OV team.” Hans Johnson (OV96)
The evening goes by in a flash and all too soon it was time to leave, luckily we have some more events in the OV calendar, so plenty to look forward to. Please contact me if you would like details of the OV Annual Black Tie Dinner in June or any other OV events [email protected]
Stella Aldridge, Deputy Head of Development & Alumni
OLD VERLUCIAN EVENTS
Macdonald Boys Lunch 11 May 2019
OV Black Tie Dinner 8 June 2019
OV Golf Day 13 September 2019
London Drinks 22 November 2019
Bath Drinks 6 March 2020
Netball, Hockey and Football followed by dinner 21 March 2020