Nic Merrett - Bishop Fox 1976
After 19 years of Housemastering, at Uppingham School Nic
Merrett (BF 76) took retirement at Christmas to concentrate
on the work of the Mango Tree Orphan Support Programme,
a charity that supports over 8500 orphans and vulnerable
children in Tanzania and Kenya. Having been a Trustee of
this charity almost since its inception in 2003 Nic decided
to start his post employment life by cycling unsupported
from Lands End to John O'Groats the long way, taking in
the west coast of Scotland, completing 1200 miles, and
raising close to £1 for every orphan the charity supports.
www.themangotree.org One of his sponsors was Poppy
Houldsworth (neé Scholes, W76) whose daughter Nic and
his wife looked after at Uppingham.
Candy Adkins - Meynell 1979
I am living in Taunton and have two children a boy and a girl.
My son is now 22 and looking to go into Wealth Management
(does anyone have any contacts in that sphere)? and my
daughter, Lara, is soon to be 17 and into Art like her Dad. I
am teaching after years of running my own training college
in London. I went to Peru last year, thoroughly recommend
it, and I am off to China this summer.
In September 2014 I was interviewed by the Somerset
County Gazette's Society Magazine on the fascinating life
of my mother, Captain Jackie Moggridge, Somerset's 'Spitfire
Girl'.
South African-born, flying since the age of 15, my mummy
joined the big boys by piloting planes from factory to
frontline in the conflict; by the war's end, she'd ferried more
engines than any other man or woman, earning a King's
Commendation for her invaluable service. She became a
source of fascination, receiving many, many fan letters. She
had five log books in her entire life. Most pilots have one.
Jackie Moggridge's reissued memoir is available to purchase
from Brendon Books in Taunton's Bath Place and online at
Amazon.
hose of you from 1977-79 probably remember her as a
very small bubbly woman who encouraged everyone to
eat as much as they could when they came over to my
house in Taunton. hose of you who knew she was a pilot
probably hadn't realised what an adventure her life had
been. To all of us that knew her she was just my Mum.
Spitfire Girl - 'We had returned to a different world. We had taken off in peace
at nine-thirty and landed in war at noon.'
Jackie Moggridge was just nineteen when World War Two broke out. Determined
to do her bit, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. Ferrying aircraft from factory
to frontline was dangerous work, but there was also fun, friendship and even
love in the air. At last the world was opening up to women... or at least it seemed
to be.
From her first flight at fifteen to smuggling Spitfires into Burma, Jackie describes
the trials and tribulations, successes and frustrations of her life in the sky.
Patrick Beesley - Bishop Fox 1979
After leaving King's I took
a three-year Gap year then
spent four years at University
of New Mexico, graduating
in Film+TV Production
(cameraman). I returned to
the UK and in 1987 set up a
film production company in
London (Fellow Productions,
NW1). I had the fortune
to get contracted by Philip
Morris to film most of the
F1 Grand Prix (including
Rally and MotoGP) until 2007. Got married late in 2004 to
Ishbel Burnet - now with 2 young daughters I have moved
to Florianopolis in Southern Brazil - probably forever. Sadly
I've lost touch with everyone from Kisafohene@hotmail.comfrom
BF leaving either 1978 or 1979 please do get in touch.
(safohene@hotmail.com).
Rupert Kirby - Neates 1981
A career change since last I was in touch. Have now given up
the daily struggle against the tyranny of data in the teaching
OA Update
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