St Edward's Chronicle Summer 2018

18 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

In 1978 you became a Teddies parent, when your son Paul joined Sing’s. Why did you and he choose Teddies? I had been happy at the School and I felt it had really given me opportunities in life. Paul enjoyed it, too, and did well. He got a good degree at Leeds University and went on to a second degree in Business at Warwick. He also enjoyed the sporting side of Teddies. He made friends for life at the School, which is always lovely to see as a parent. He’s now a Psychotherapist and runs a London-based charity called the Claremont Project which creates opportunities to help older people improve their lives. He is recognised as a national expert in this area. We had been living in Oxford for a few years when I received a handwritten note from the then Chair of Governors Graham Cooper – would I consider becoming a Governor? Graham explained that since I was running a business of a similar size to the School at the time, the Board felt that my professional experience would be beneficial. So I agreed and quite soon became Chairman of the General Purposes Committee (GPC), the Board’s main decision-making group. What big issues did you encounter during your time as a Governor? The decision that the School should become fully co-educational was probably the first big initiative I faced. I was closely involved in the appointment of the 11th Warden, David Christie, and within a few years of What prompted you to become a Governor?

my Slotties and wondered if there were a merchandising opportunity for the hugely popular children’s animation. Of course there was. This early contact led to a long and fruitful association with the BBC and other licensing companies developing a wide range of merchandise for family favourites such as Thomas the Tank Engine , Mr Men , Postman Pat and Noddy . I eventually sold the business in 1990 to concentrate on philanthropic activities. Alongside my duties as a Governor, I run a charity called The Hebridean Trust. Based on the island of Tiree, the charity runs a fully-catered visitor centre and raises funds to offer holidays to disadvantaged young people. The charity also owns seven uninhabited Hebridean islands, collectively a Site of Special Scientific Interest, where our mission is to enable the many colonies of rare birds – including puffins and storm petrels – to thrive. The School has changed enormously since I was a pupil, and in many ways for the better. All schools in those days were far harsher places than they are today. But what I do still see, in abundance, are young people being developed by the School. As a Governor, I spend a great deal of time in School. I’ve met many of the pupils and heard about their ambitions and achievements. I see committed teachers and pastoral staff going out of their way to give young people opportunities as Bill Veitch and John Vernon did for me. In other areas, the School’s strength in the arts was visible even then – Lawrence Toynbee, the celebrated landscape, portrait and sporting artist, was Head of Art. Do you recognise the school of then in today’s Teddies?

Simon Hipwell

him taking up the post, he recommended that we take this course of action. The Board supported his recommendation unanimously – it was felt that co-education would strengthen the School’s educational offering in being more reflective of real life. As we celebrate 20 years of a vibrant co-educational community, it is clear that this was the right decision. A drive to introduce professional financial oversight had been one of the motivations behind my invitation to join the Board. As Chairman of the GPC, I was instrumental in the appointment of the Bursar, Stephen Withers Green, in 1998. He has been and continues to be an excellent Bursar. Working closely with him for nearly 20 years on the School’s financial matters and on some of our more innovative business developments has been one of the highlights of my time as a Governor. One of those innovative developments was the bold idea to create the shared-use sports centre on Field Side. This was highly original. I became involved when the idea was first mooted by Roger Ellis, Chairman at the time, and I then championed the proposal to take it through to completion. There were some who felt that the combination of school and public use would not work; in fact, it has been successful for the leisure companies concerned and for the School. Some years before the public leisure centre opened as Esporta in 1999, the Douglas Bader Sports Centre had been constructed for the School. It was opened by the man himself in the early ‘80s, a wonderful memory. What are the other highlights of your time as a Governor and as Chairman? I’m very pleased that the School grew during my tenure. In September 1985, we started Mike with his good friend Robert Wilson OSE, the best-selling crime writer, watching the 1st XV on Upper 1. Robert also led an unbeaten XV, in 1975.

Mike giving the Chairman’s address at Gaudy in 2013, the School’s 150th anniversary year.