Dear ^Preferred name or first name^

I hope this finds you and yours well during what continues to be challenging times. Since the Covid-19 lock-down, our staff and pupils have been kept busy with live-streamed lessons in the mornings, followed by an imaginative programme of extra curricular activities in the afternoon. The Prep re-opens on Monday 1 June for children in Nursery, Reception, Years 1 and 6 (as per government guidelines); therefore, in true Mount Kelly spirit, we are keeping calm and carrying on!

I am particularly proud of our Upper Sixth volunteers who have become an integral part of our Caring Calls Campaign and have been ringing some of our more vulnerable OMKs in lockdown. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and full of praise for our pupils. See below for further details.

We are looking forward to the easing of lockdown and getting back to our OMK programme of events - we are feeling optimistic and hope to kick-start the new academic year with a re-scheduled drinks gathering at David Londsdale's (1975-81) pub The Sekforde in London on 23 September. We will, of course, keep you updated over the coming weeks; in the meantime, stay safe and please keep sending us your news and stories for the next newsletter.

Fran Reid
Development & Alumni Manager

'Walking on Sunshine'

The Mount Kelly Chamber Choir, who recently won the title of Barnardo's School Choir of the Year in March, decided to sing 'together under lockdown, 'and have recorded this great version of Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves.

Pupils recreate Ten Tors @ Home

On the first weekend of May, 28 pupils decided not to let all their Ten Tors training go to waste and completed either 34, 45 or 55 miles in their gardens and local back lanes. Self-sufficient and camping, they recreated the event as best they could and raised over £5k for the NHS Charities in the process.

Caring Calls Campaign - Meet the Team

Meet Alisha Varia, Indira Falle, Dominic Bourne and Natasha Farrington - our Upper Sixth pupil volunteers who make up the Caring Calls Campaign team. To date, they have called over 130 OMKs and have enjoyed hearing stories about their time at School, exchanging Mount Kelly experiences and also learning what career paths they embarked upon after leaving school. With A Levels cancelled, and very much with their own future in mind, making these calls is, in turn, is giving our pupils a sense of purpose, helping them grow in confidence and enabling them to improve their inter-personal skills.

Such is the success of the campaign so far that we have decided to continue with the calls in June. If you would like the opportunity to talk to one of our callers, do get in touch and we will arrange for you to receive a call from one of the team.

SAS Selection Winner

Congratulations to Lauren Steadman (07-11) who was pushed to her physical and mental limit on Channel 4's SAS Celebrity Who Dares Wins 2020 and who, on 26 May, won the contest alongside DJ Locksmith Rudimental.

Explorers Club Fellowship

Congratulations to Mark Hannaford (81-84) who in March was elected an International Fellow of The Explorers Club in New York. Other Fellows of the Club include Buzz Aldrin, James Cameron and
 Elon Musk.

World Press Photo Award

Battleground PolyU, a film covering a protest in Hong Kong made by David Clark (78-83), has won Interactive of the Year at the World Press Photo Awards, as well as another four international nominations, including the Webby Awards. Click on the photo above to watch David's film.

Ben Nevis Marathon

Brothers Tom (99-04) and Ralph (01-08) completed the equivalent of a Ben Nevis Marathon without leaving home. They ran 26.2 miles on a 300m farm track and rope climbed 4413ft (an 18ft rope 260 times), raising over £5k for Age UK, the Royal Marines and NHS charities.

OMK Hero in Thailand

Over the last 38 days, Nick Fawcus-Robinson (70-76), has raised over £1M Thai Baht and, along with 12 volunteers, delivered some 40,000 meals to people in Phuket whose livelihoods have been adversely affected by Covid-19. He is now getting his diving comany, Scuba Nicks (established 2004), ready for when lock-down is lifted.

Music Video for NHS

Former staff member Trevor Ryder (79-12) decided to learn a new  skill in lockdown and has had a go at producing his first-ever music video - and to raise money for the NHS Charities Together. Watch the video and visit his just giving page if you would like to support his fundraising efforts.

Sharron Davies speaks to pupils

Over 100 pupils in the Swim Squad enjoyed a brilliant Q&A session over Zoom with Olympian Sharron Davies (78-80) who gave excellent advice and provided an insight into her career, her love of swimming and dealing with adversity.

Masterchef 2020

Olivia Eadie (02-11) was a contestant in this year's BBC Masterchef series; although she was not chosen to go through to the next round, she very much enjoyed the experience and cooked some delicious-looking dishes for the judges.

Mount Kelly Food Bank

 Working closely with the council and local volunteer groups, Mount Kelly is helping run the local Food Bank. Donations are stored in the College kitchens, supplemented with Mount Kelly's own stocks of food, and staff volunteers are bagging up the items and delivering them to vulnerable families across west Devon using the school minibuses.

The Mount Kelly
Bursary Fund

We are very grateful to all OMKs, parents, staff and governors who are supporting the Mount Kelly Bursary Fund with regular or one-off gifts. Our aim is to enable a wider range of talented pupils to access a Mount Kelly education, and experience the life-changing opportunities that it provides.

Alumnet Online Platform
for OMKs

Over 400 OMKs have already signed up to Alumnet - our OMK networking platform. Alumnet allows OMKs to keep in touch with friends, and is especially useful in making new connections for business/career purposes, such as sourcing work experience or career advice.

Head Master's Blogs and
other recordings

Our Head Master, Guy Ayling, records a weekly lock-down blog, which can be accessed via the School's website, as can the Monday chapel addresses, various talks, lectures and music recitals.

OMK Events 2020

OMK Ladies' Hockey v Mount Kelly 1st XI

Wednesday 23 September 6pm
OMK Pub Gathering in London
(The Sekforde, Farrington)

Saturday 8 May 2021
OMK Day & Dinner
OMK Golf
OMK Cricket

   Mount Kelly
College: Parkwood Road - Tavistock - Devon - PL19 0HZ
Prep: Mount Tavy Road - Tavistock - Devon - PL19 9JL
www.mountkelly.com - mailto:alumni@mountkelly.com

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