A Year with Friends of Worth

A snapshot of 2012-13 events is as follows:

Sept - Family Mass, New Parents' Supper, Year 9 Lunch

Oct - Joint Day Houses Coffee

Nov - Race Night

Dec - Carol Service Drinks

Jan - Family Mass

Mar - St Patrick's Night

Apr - Family Mass

Jun - Summer Ball, Speech Day Drinks

In addition to these 'whole school' social events, each House organises a diverse range of occasions for parents to get together during the year - for details, please see your House pages for FoW information.    

Worth Every Penny Bazaar - November

The Worth Every Penny Bazaar was a terrific success, thanks to the tremendous efforts of the Friends of Worth House Reps who pitched in to help and the huge number of students and parents who came to shop and support their House Charities.  The students set out their tables with the generously donated items just in time to catch the early bargain hunters and offered a wide and varied selection of goodies to tempt our Christmas shoppers.  

 
Supporting parents and friends who brought in new items for sale added even more variety to the event.  The raffle was supplied with some excellent prizes, the cake stall was heaving with wonderful offerings from parents and the refreshments in the Pitstop provided a much needed 'pick-me-up' from the bustle of the 'market'!

 It will come as no surprise that the House table overflowing with sweets was hugely popular and as a result Butler romped home with an impressive £403 to add to their House charity funds.  I am delighted to report that Worth Every Penny 2012 raised just over £2,600 for the House charities - thank you to everyone who took part, whether spending or serving at the tables.
 

Burns Night - January

With a swirl of tartan and a salute to the haggis, the Friends of Worth Burns Night 2012 was a great celebration amid superb Scottish decorations in the Refectory. We were delighted to be joined by our Guests of Honour, the Laird Green from Ardingly Glen and his fair Lady Brenda (aka Brenda and Peter Green, Headmaster of Ardingly College), who delivered a great speech and toast to the Immortal Memory. Sixty parents and guests were piped to their tables and after enjoying the traditional meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, the evening was spent in an impressive display of reels and flying feet as dancing continued up to midnight. Sadly, there is no photographic evidence of our own Head Master enjoying a Highland Fling but we can vouch he was on the dancefloor displaying some very nimble footwork!

Speech Day Drinks Reception - May

Speech Day is always a highlight in the school calendar and Friends of Worth make a special contribution by hosting the drinks reception after Mass, before families head off for a picnic on the lawns, a walk through the forest, a spot of croquet or settle in to watch the traditional Worthians tennis and cricket matches.  The day ends with a concert in the Abbey and cream tea in the Cowdray Room.  Definitely not to be missed!  

Summer Ball - June

The Summer Ball is an event which is held every other year; the next Ball will be in 2013.
Something quite special was seen sparkling in Sussex on June 4th 2011!  The Friends of Worth Glitter Ball was a fabulous success, with nearly 300 parents and guests starting the evening with a Sparkling Reception, followed by one of the best four-course dinners ever enjoyed at Worth - the compliments to our catering team were justifiably wonderful!

The live auction took centre stage after dinner and - combined with the silent auction in the PLC  - raised a staggering figure, just short of £20,000.  The final numbers are still being crunched, but we hope to announce them very soon. And as for the dancing...well, we oldies can still show the kids a few sharp moves! The marvellous band, Coverstory, had to play repeated encores as our disco divas refused to leave the dancefloor.  If you were there you know what a glittering, great night it was;  if you missed it, make sure you're first in line for the next fabulous Friends of Worth Summer Ball!

Great Worth Jubilee Jamboree - May

    

The fading strains of the National Anthem played by Worth's own 'Brain May' were carried away on the breeze, the shrieks of terrified delight from 30 intrepid teenagers announced the first white knuckle ride on the Meteor ... the 2012 Worth Jubilee Jamboree was up and running!
 
Thanks to a stunning location, fantastic attendance from students and parents alike and the glorious sun we always knew would shine on us, Worth celebrated the Jubilee in a way which will be remembered for years to come. There was something for everyone from the stomach-churning centrifuge 'salad spinner' and ever popular dodgems, to more 'sedate' activities such as the Bungee Run and China Smashing. The delicious hog roast and BBQ, ice cream and candy floss carts gave a traditional feel to the day, topped off by the spectacular transformation of the beautiful Whitehead Room into a (very posh) vintage tea room. Among the myriad of images that captured the spirit of the day, one of the most memorable was the sight of Br Gabriel whizzing around on the Meteor...boys will be boys!

 
In true Benedictine style, the warm hand of hospitality was extended to 24 old prep school Worthians and their wives who returned for a unique reunion organised by the Friends of Worth, as part of the Jubilee celebrations. They returned to the school, many for the first time in over 50 years, and were treated to the sight of Worth at play. The venerable Old Boys enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of memories, caught up with old friends and trod in their schoolboy footsteps around the school with Fr Stephen and Sixth Form tour guides from St Anne's/ St Mary's.

 
As always, Friends of Worth are indebted to the school staff, particularly the catering, maintenance and ground teams for their unstinting support - I defy anyone else to enjoy a better Jubilee celebration!