Founders’ Commemoration Day has looked very different this year, but the message has remained the same. It is a day for us to stop, to pause, and to be thankful.

Traditionally, every November, our students stop the traffic as they march through the city centre to Bristol Cathedral. This year, led by the Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl in traditional dress, Year 13 students marched through the school grounds and laid a wreath to commemorate the founders John Whitson, and Reverends T G Rose and Urijah Thomas.  We then celebrated the core themes of the day with a service streamed to staff, students, parents and alumnae from our school site in Westbury-on-Trym. In keeping with previous years, the service paid tribute to the founders, and provided an opportunity for reflection on our long and distinguished history.

In addition, students from both the Junior and Senior Schools were involved in a range of charitable activities, in commemoration of our philanthropic foundations. These have included writing to members of the school community who may have felt isolated in recent months.

The girls have identified seven key charities which they intend to support this year: The Chicuchas Wasi School for Girls in Cusco, Peru; the World Wildlife Fund; the Avon Wildlife Trust; Family Action; the Tiwizi Community Association in Asni, Morocco; Young Minds; and Caring in Bristol.

Speaking of this important day, in his first year as Head, Paul Dwyer said, “We are naturally disappointed that Founders’ Commemoration Day will not be marked in the way we would hope.

“However, we are very aware of the global picture, and the many, much larger sacrifices being made by people throughout the country and beyond.

“We must count our blessings as a school that we continue to have caring relationships to draw strength from, a site that provides an oasis in the midst of troubled times, and a community that has been forged in history and bound by compassion.”