Countess of Wessex Visit
Thursday 21st January 2010
Her Royal Highness, Sophie Countess of Wessex visited Wells Cathedral School on Tuesday in her role as Patron of the Wells Cathedral Girl Chorister Trust. Her visit marked two important anniversaries for the school: the 1,100th Anniversary of the foundation of the school, and the 15th Anniversary of the formation of the girl choristers as part of the Cathedral Music Foundation.
The Countess arrived by helicopter on Cedars Field, where she was greeted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, Lady Gass, before being escorted to the school's new classroom building. She was invited to inspect the building plans and view the work in progress on the site by the Very Reverend John Clarke, Chairman of Governors and Dean of Wells Cathedral, before being invited to commission the building and unveil a commemorative plaque to celebrate the school's 1,100th Anniversary.
Head, Elizabeth Cairncross, then presented Nick Wilson, Head of the Junior School, David Rowley, Head of Year 9 and Susie Jameson Head of Mathematics, along with Head Boy Harry Keevil, Head Girl Emily Day and a number of other pupils, who will all be using the new building once the building works have been completed.
Later, Her Royal Highness was escorted by Iain Ball, Chairman of Wells Cathedral School Girl Chorister Trust, to Cedars Drawing Room, where she listened to a concert performed by the current girl choristers and chatted to them about their life at school. The Head Girl Chorister, Zara Topham, invited her to cut the 15th Anniversary Cake to mark the formation of the girls' choir in 1994, and Deputy Head Girl Chorister, Emma Coppen, presented her with a recording and a copy of the school book 'A Brilliant Foundation for Life'.
The Countess then took refreshments and met representatives from the school, music foundation and trustees from the Girl Chorister Trust and spent more time with the choristers. As she left she was greeted by hundreds of pupils from across the school who had come out in their raincoats to see her. She stopped and chatted to lots of students, particularly enjoying her conversations with the younger Nursery and Junior School pupils, before departing by helicopter for another engagement at the Bath and West Showground.
The Countess was a real hit with the students, Year 4 pupil Edward Bascombe, who spoke to her said “She was lovely – really smiley! She asked us all about our music and art lessons and laughed a lot!”
