Loughborough High School celebrates 175 years with a Carillon picnic.
The Loughborough Carillon was the setting for a very special picnic on Friday 23rd May – celebrating the 175th birthday of Loughborough High School.
It was the perfect afternoon for it, warm and sunny. About 230 girls and 40 staff gathered on the lawns of Queen’s Park at the foot of the Carillon, under the banners of their four houses, Hastings, Storer, Fearon and Burton, to enjoy music, food and games. Oakley, the school well-being dog, joined in too and certainly got plenty of attention.
The High School is the country’s oldest girls’ academic school, founded in 1850, with high academic, sports and pastoral standards. It continues to expand and evolve, equipping the girls to meet challenges and achieve success in today’s world.
It also sees itself as very much part of the Loughborough community, raising money for charities and serving local organisations. This can be seen in its historic ties with the Carillon. In 1923 a bell for the Carillon was funded by pupils past and present, and the school’s Combined Cadet Force takes part in the Remembrance Sunday service at the Carillon.
What’s more, the current carillonneur is a Loughborough High School alumna; Caroline Sharpe was at the school in the 1990s. On Friday she played the school hymn, followed by the unofficial school song (The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”) as well as more sedate tunes such as Teddy Bears’ Picnic. There was recorded music too, including Abba, The Beatles and Queen. It all made for a wonderful afternoon, the perfect demonstration of how the Loughborough Carillon continues to play a vibrant part in local life.
