MGS Christmas Concert & Carol Service
All Saints Church, Maidstone, 7:00 pm Thursday 16th December

All Old Maidstonians and their families and partners are warmly invited to this annual event.

Having been apart for most of the last two years, the festive period is a great chance to reunite and catch up with your fellow OMs, especially those of you who are recent leavers, so why not come along to All Saints Church on Thursday 16th December @ 7pm.

The Committee would like to take this opportunity to wish all members of the Old Maidstonian Society, and your families, a very Merry Xmas and a healthy New Year. We look forward to meeting you at the events in 2022.

On Saturday 25th September the Society is holding an Autumn Supper in the School Hall as an occasion to get members and partners together for a sociable evening with fellow OM’s.
We had to cancel two Annual Suppers in April 2020 and this year so this will be something of an occasion to “catch up” with fellow members, but with less formality than the Annual Supper.

Here is a link to the flyer with full details including menu and booking details (PDF format). This has also been emailed to members.
Autumn Supper Flyer 2021.
An online booking form is available here
Autumn supper booking form

The event will start at around 4.00 pm and the school will be open so that members can see recent developments and major upgrades to the school’s facilities: the “All Weather” sports pitch; the new pavilion; the refurbished library; as well as recent classroom and laboratory upgrades.

Year 13 leavers from 2020 and 2021 were denied any traditional “farewell fling” to end their school days so this will be a superb opportunity for them to get together.

A buffet supper is being arranged for around 6.30 pm at £13 per head: details and menu are in the flyer. A pay bar will be provided for drinks before and during the meal. Our President Nancy Powell and the Headmaster will say a few words of welcome (much less formal than the Annual Supper!) and after the meal members will be welcome to socialise and chat with friends further, with proceedings coming to a close sometime between 8.30 and 9.00 pm. So not a “late” night but one starting in daylight to see what has become of our old school.

Hopefully this will be well supported and will take the place of the “London Event” we have held in recent years. As a Saturday evening it should be easier for OM’s from across the South East to get to Maidstone to meet and have a Reunion with friends.

Your Committee hope that the traditional Annual Supper will be held as usual in the Spring of 2022.

The Old Maidstonian Society AGM and Annual Supper will be held at the school on Friday 27th March 2020. Dress is jacket and tie.

The AGM will be held from 17:45 to 18:30. The Supper will commence promptly at 19:30, and will conclude equally promptly by 22:00, as there will again be a Master of Ceremonies to ensure that all runs on time, as it has done for the past couple of years.

The President, Nancy Powell, has invited Toby Davies as her guest. Toby left MGS in 1994. Since leaving he has worked as a stage and screen writer (something he began to much acclaim whilst at MGS). He has worked on major TV series, and stage shows, here and in the US for a range of production companies. We are certain he will be an entertaining speaker.

The incoming President for 2020 to 2021 will be Graham Walker, who retired in 2018 after 37 years at MGS, and whom many of you will remember, not least because he was the President’s guest at the Annual Supper last year.

There will again be a professional bar service with beer, spirits, port and soft drinks being served before dinner and also at tables during the meal. The bar will be open by 18:00, and the hall and bar will remain open until 23:00. Entrance will again only be through the main entrance door, where you will be greeted.

There were many compliments about the newly appointed caterers for last year’s Annual Supper, Cucina. They will again be preparing our meal. The menu is available at this link in PDF Supper Menu as PDF or Word Supper Menu for Word. The meal will again be served at the tables. The caterer will provide place names with each diner’s menu choices printed on one side.

Everyone attending is requested to:

Make payment by one of the methods below;
Pre-select their menu choices from the attached menu, and forward them to the Membership Secretary either by e-mail, phone, or by mail to the school, addressed to the OMS;
Advise the Membership Secretary when booking if you wish to sit with another member.

The cost is £25 per head, which remains the same as last year and still reflects the very high quality and quantity of food being served. In view of the fact that meals will be prepared and served with each individual’s menu selections, payment must be made in advance.

You may pay either by internet bank transfer to (If you use this method, please drop me an e-mail letting me know):

Or by sending a cheque, made payable to ‘Old Maidstonian Society’ to:
The Old Maidstonian Society
Maidstone Grammar School
Barton Road
Maidstone
Kent
ME15 7BT
Tel: 01622 752101

Warmest regards,
The Committee

Following the success of the previous London events, the Society would again like to invite all Old Maidstonians to an early evening informal gathering being held at The George Inn in Southwark, from 19:00 until 21:30. The evening will be hosted by our President, Mrs Nancy Powell.

The historic 17th century George Inn is a galleried coaching inn at 77 Borough High Street, SE1 1NH, close to The Shard and London Bridge.

A private room with pay bar has been booked and there will be a buffet. The Society will meet part of the costs of the evening, but we would appreciate a nominal £10 contribution, which should be paid on the evening. In order that we can have an idea of the numbers wishing to attend, and therefore the amount for the buffet, we would be very grateful if you would please let us know at oms@oldmaidstonians.org.uk. We have to advise The George Inn 10 days in advance, so please respond as soon as possible.

Here ias the poster and booking form in two formats:
For doc format, usable by Word, click here:
MGS Quiz poster 2019 (doc)

For pdf format, readable using Adobe Acrobat etc, click here:
MGS Quiz poster 2019 (PDF)

Some photos, courtesy of Peter Weaver:

Lindsay Evans, former chair of Governors, was made an Honorary Vice- President of the Society by the President, Richard Ratcliffe.

	The President and Lindsay Evans
	Roger Crittenden, the President’s Guest speaker, who proposes the toast to the School
	The Headmaster, Mark Tomkins, replies
	The School Captain replies
	The President makes the Alec Stewart award
	The President makes the Clifford Award for History
	The Clifford Award
	Handover of the Presidency
	The new President, Neil Turrell (President 2016-17)