2013

Final versions of the programme and letter are available via these links: programme and letter.

Easter 2013 is a long weekend and will run from lunchtime on Friday 29th March until breakfast on Tuesday 2nd April. Booking forms are currently being printed and will be mailed out shortly. Prices for the weekend are below, and as usual, those requiring meals will need to pre-book prior to the weekend - please use the booking form for this.

	FULL WEEKEND PRICES (per person)	BED & BREAKFAST PRICES (per night per person)	RESIDENT MEAL PRICES	DAY VISITOR MEAL PRICES
Adult (18+)	£238	£54	£14	£16
Student	£114	£27	£12	£14
Child (13-17)	£100	£23	£10	£12
Child (6-12)	£80	£18	£8	£10
Child (3-5)	£60	£13	£7	£8
Under 3	FREE	FREE	FREE	FREE
Single Room Supplement	£35	£12 per night	N/A	N/A

The programme is currently being put together - if you would like to receive a copy before Easter weekend please email and once it has been finalised I will email a copy to you.

The booking form PDF and accompanying letter PDF are currently being printed and dispatched.

If you have not received your form within the next couple of weeks then please use there are electronic copies here: Booking form PDF (about 3MB) and Booking form letter PDF.

Many Thanks,

Sal Wright

Easter Secretary

2012

The Easter Gathering this year will be between Friday 6th April and Tuesday 10th April.

The 2012 booking forms were proofed the week ending the 26th February so will be printed and distributed very shortly.

Unfortunately, like last year, this means that there is a fairly tight turn around so please once you get the form send it onto me asap.

If you have not received your form within the next couple of weeks then please use there are electronic copies here: Booking form PDF (about 5MB) and Booking form letter PDF.

If you do not receive a copy of the booking form and letter in the next few weeks it means for whatever reason the Association has lost contact with you. In this case please get in contact with the membership secretary so we can update your details.

As ever both Sal and myself are juggling our AOSA commitments between increasing pressures from work and domestic life. Apologies for the delays this puts on getting the forms distributed.

Unfortunately after making a loss last year we've had to put prices up by over 5%. Ultimately the more attendees that return the cheaper the weekend will be - so please if you know someone who is thinking about coming back then give them a prod.

Your implicit patience and understanding is gratefully received!

Many thanks and hope to see you all in a couple of months. John

2011

Message from The President

1995 - 2004 marks the time when I was Head of Ackworth School. Currently I am President of the Ackworth Old Scholars Association and my year of office ends at this year’s Easter Gathering to be held at school from Friday 22 April to Tuesday 26 April 2011.

As always Susan and I are very much looking forward to Easter Gathering and to meeting Old Scholars. This year it would be particularly good to meet again at least some of those who were at school when we were there. We have very happy memories of those years and would be delighted if you were able to look in over the weekend.

You would be made welcome at any time.

The highlights include:

A group photograph on Centre Library steps on Easter Saturday at 1.00pm.
An opportunity to relive memories by looking in on the Barn Dance on Saturday afternoon.
A concert at 8.00pm on Easter Sunday evening which our sons James and Matthew have arranged with a group of professional performers.

If you would like more details of the weekend Sal Wright (Easter Secretary) is the best person to .

With all good wishes

Martin Dickinson

Easter Programme

A PDF copy of the programme is available here.

Booking Forms

The booking forms for the Easter weekend 2011 have finally been printed and distributed so should have or be turning up very soon.

We are getting some reports of the envelope that should contain the booking form and accompanying letter being empty. Apologies for this, if this affects you please print off and use the electronic copies below.

An electronic copy of the booking form can be found here.

The letter that accompanies the booking form is here.

If you haven't received your booking form by the 18th of March then please get in touch with the membership secretary to make sure we have your correct postal address.

More information about the weekend will be placed here in due course.

Many thanks.

John & Sal

2010

The Easter weekend 2010 will take place between Lunchtime on Friday 2nd April and Tuesday 6th April.

The booking forms are in the state of being printed at present and hopefully should be distributed no later than the end of February. Apologies for the delay, however both Sal and myself continue to be exceptionally busy and so the time, outside our normal jobs and other commitments, that we can devote to the preparation of the weekend has been and remains somewhat lacking.

An electronic copy of the booking form can be found here.

The letter that accompanies the booking form is here. Please take care to read this as there are some important changes to the way that we are asking you to book this year. (Note there is a typo in this version of the letter, the URL for the Easter webpage is incorrect, it should be http://www.aosa.org.uk/easter.htm. This has been corrected in the version of the letter that has been printed.)

There will be an important change to the arrangements this year for day visitors who wish to have meals in school. The number of meals that will be provided by the school will be fixed before the weekend. This will be based upon the booking figures received up to approximately two weekends before the gathering. So if you are coming to school for the day and wish to eat you are encouraged to book in advance, there may be no facility this year to sign up for meals on the day. We have adopted this measure both to keep costs down and to help prevent problems with the kitchens providing the meals.

2009

Programme Information

A Powerpoint file containing a letter and Programme of Events for Easter is available here. For those that don't have Microsoft Powerpoint installed the information is replicated here.

Booking Information

An electronic copy of the 2009 booking form in PDF format is available here.

The following message was included with the 2009 booking forms:

Greetings Easter Gatherer!

Easter 2009 is a long weekend, beginning lunchtime on Friday 10th April and finishing at breakfast on Tuesday 14th April, and this year’s president, Chris Rengert, is looking forward to seeing you.

Annette Brown (nee Newby) is organising a reunion for Old Scholars of the 1962-1969 era to meet up after lunch on Saturday 11th April on Centre Library Steps. For more details please contact Annette by email – theabrown@hotmail.com.

As you all know, the school accommodation has changed over the years, and we are unable to put additional beds in rooms due to fire regulations. We use the maximum number of beds that the school can offer us, and often have to remake beds during the weekend. To this end, I urge you to return your booking forms as soon as possible and all forms should be returned to John Golding. As the booking forms are received, they will be numbered, and rooms will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, so that the number of unused beds in school during the weekend is minimised – if we receive your booking after we are fully booked, you will be contacted by telephone so please remember to include this on your form. We will do our very best to ensure that we cater for your wishes, but please bear in mind that there is no accommodation on the ground floor, that we only have a few large rooms, and that we may not be in a position to give you exactly what you request. If you are not prepared to share a room with someone, please make sure that you include the Single Room Supplement on your form – if we have a busy gathering and space is limited, anyone who hasn’t paid a single room supplement might find themselves sharing. If you wish to share with people, please state this clearly on your form. Finally the ensuite rooms are limited and requests cannot be guaranteed due to the reasons stated above.

As last year, the AGM will be on Saturday at 5pm in the Fothergill, but this will be purely a Business Meeting. We aim to keep it short, and head into dinner straight afterwards. After the dinner, there is an After-Dinner Speech, given by our president, Chris Rengert. This is instead of the President giving his presentation during the AGM. Greetings from Old Scholars and the nomination for the 2009 President will also take place at this time.

This year following on from the After-Dinner Speech, we will be holding an Auction. As you will know, the AOSA funded the new stage curtains in the Fothergill Theatre, and all the proceeds from the Easter Auction will be given to the school to pay for new auditorium curtains. If you are able to donate anything to the auction, please let me know ASAP. You can contact me at:

17 ASHTON CLOSE, ASHTON, BISHOPS WALTHAM, HAMPSHIRE, SO32 1FP

HOME: 01489 890885 WORK: 07734 044639 MOBILE: 07825 704074

EMAIL: aosaeaster@yahoo.co.uk

There is once again a full programme of events and activities taking place throughout the weekend and hopefully there is something for everyone! The return of many regular activities along with some exciting new additions to the programme this year, will hopefully ensure that whether you want an active or a relaxing weekend, there’ll be plenty for you to take part in or watch! We are still putting together the final programme, but it can be posted to you before Easter if you send me a Stamped Addressed Envelope, or I can email an electronic version. Once finalised, it will also be posted on the AOSA website – www.aosa.org.uk

Look forward to seeing you!

Best Wishes,

Sal Wright and The Easter Team!

2008

The Easter gathering 2008 was be held between Friday 21st and Tuesday 25th March 2008.

2008 Visitors

A list of those people who attended the gathering in 2008 can be found here.

Easter Programme

A PDF of the programme card for the 2008 gathering is available here.

Easter lost property

A number of items of property were left at Easter. Details are available on the lost property page.

Poems Read at Easter 2008

The Easter Secretary has had a few requests for information about the Poems read at Poetry Hour. Details are provided below:

Ledger Slab in Bamfield Church, Suffolk (from J.J. Norwich, 1970, in “Christmas Crackers”)
Brief Reflection on Accuracy (Moslav Holub, in “Staying Alive” published by Bloodaxe)
They May Rail at this Life… (Thomas Moore, in “Christmas Crackers”)
A Certain Evening (G.H. Chesterton)
Stones Lie (Christopher Pilling, in “Alive in Cumbria”, South Col Press 2005)
Iona Dance (Alix Brown, Wildgoose Publications)
From: June (John Clare, Shepherds Calendar)
Blackberry Picking (Seamus Heanley)
A Brand New Day (Anon, 15)
War (Anon, 15)
The Old Ships (James Elroy Flecker)
When There is Peace (Alan Horner, Wildgoose Publications)
My Last Duchess (Robert Browning)
John Anderson My Jo (Robert Burns)
Perfect Light (Ted Hughes, in “Birthday Letters”)
A Father to his Son (Colin Richmond, in “Other Rooms”, Ryburn Publications, Keele University Press)
Walking With Grief (Andy Raine)
Part of Stanza V, Little Gidding; 4 Quarters (T.S. Eliot)
Lord Let Me Find Back the Lost Treasure of Time (Adrian Van Kaam)
A Journey (Edward Field)
The Morning Runs (Nicholas Heiney, in “The Silence at the Song’s End, Songbird Books)
Silent Music (David Jones, in “Garden & Other Poems)
In Beauty May I Walk (Anon, Navajo, in “Rattle Bag)

Booking Information

An electronic copy of the 2008 booking form in PDF format is available here.

The following message was included with the 2008 booking forms:

Greetings Easter Gatherer!

Easter 2008 is a long weekend, beginning lunchtime on Friday 21st March and finishing at breakfast on Tuesday 25th March.

In particular, Staff and Old Scholars from the 1980s and 1990s are especially welcomed back by this year’s President, Diana Chadwick, who would be delighted to see pupils and staff who were at school during the time that she was. Anyone from this period who is unable to attend for part or all of the weekend is invited to send information about what they are doing now, with a recent photograph and contact details if possible, to go on a display in Centre Library during Easter Weekend (Please send to Sal by post or email) If anyone from these decades has been thinking about planning a reunion – this year is the year to do it!

As last year, the AGM will be on Saturday at 5pm in the Fothergill, but this will be purely a Business Meeting. We aim to keep it short, and head into dinner straight afterwards. After the dinner, there is an After-Dinner Speech, given by our president, Diana Chadwick. This is instead of the President giving her presentation during the AGM. Greetings from Old Scholars and the nomination for the 2008 President will also take place at this time.

There is once again a full programme of events and activities taking place throughout the weekend and hopefully there is something for everyone! Sports Ladders will be coordinated for the more active Easter Gatherers, along with the usual Rounders, Cricket, Hockey, Badsworth, and there’s plenty to do if you’d prefer a more relaxing Easter. The final programme can be posted to you before Easter if you send Sal a Stamped Addressed Envelope, or she can email an electronic version. It will also be posted on the AOSA website – www.aosa.org/easter.htm.

Look forward to seeing you!

Best Wishes,

Diana Chadwick and The Easter Team!

2007

Easter 2007 Visitors

A list of those people who attended the gathering in 2007 can be found here.