On Saturday 6 July, members of the Kingsley community came together for an afternoon of family fun.
Students entertained guests with music, dance and drama performances, as well as organising games and charity stalls. They were joined by local individuals and organisations including artist and Kingsley alumna Esme Griffiths, Friends of Christchurch Gardens, Guide Dogs and members of the school’s fabulous PTA, Friends of Kingsley. Children enjoyed craft activities, a bouncy castle, face painting and (once it had stopped raining!) flying the kites they had made in the garden. Refreshments included cream teas and an ice cream van.
Alumni of all ages were given tours of the Senior School. They congregated in the library to share memories of their school days over a glass of prosecco. Staff alumna Rebecca Dyson, who looks after the school archives, organised a wonderful display of photos, which included at least one image of every alum who had registered for the event.
Visitors also enjoyed browsing the many drawings, paintings and photographs in the school’s annual art exhibition. The exhibition included a display of photos entitled ‘View from my Window’, showing the different scenes – across the UK and all around the world – that Kingsley alumni look out onto every day. At the centre of the exhibition was Kingsley’s contribution to the Warwick Schools Foundation’s ‘Five Structures, One Home’ project – The Hive. Taking inspiration from the unity of bees, its design and student artworks reflect the interconnectedness of the school’s close-knit community.
We were delighted to be joined by the Warwickshire Beekeepers Association, who brought along a beehive (with bees!) and lots of delicious honey for guests to taste and buy. Little ones had fun collecting colourful pompoms in the garden and learned just how hard bees have to work to gather enough pollen for a single pot of honey!
The Family Fun Day was organised as part of the Warwick Schools Foundation’s Home Festival, with events, exhibitions and performances taking place throughout June and into early July. The theme of ‘Home’ was chosen to celebrate each of the five Foundation schools’ homes and what makes them unique.