Old Ashvillians head back to school to revisit old times

Scores of former Ashville College pupils from the 1970s and 1980s are heading back to their former school for a reunion this month.

More than 40 Old Ashvillians are attending the latest “Decades Lunch”, being held on Saturday, November 16, for those who attended the Green Lane independent school between 1975 and 1985.

Launched three years ago, the annual reunion lunches have proved exceptionally popular, and are now an annual fixture on the school’s alumni calendar.

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This year’s event will also mark a first, as it will be the first Decades Lunch reunion when former girl pupils are on the invite list. This follows Ashville making the monumental step to go co-educational in the September of 1982, after 105 years of it being a boys’ only day and boarding school.

The lunch has been organised in conjunction with the Ashvillian Society – the school’s former old pupils’ organisation – and Ashville College itself.

Ian Brown, who was elected Ashvillian Society president at its AGM in July said, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that this year’s Decades Lunch is from my era.”

He added: “I joined the school in 1976 and spent an incredibly happy seven years as a boarder.

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“More than 40 former pupils, plus former members of staff, will be attending the lunch, including a number of my old class-mates and boarding house colleagues.

“It’s fantastic to see its evolution in the years since I left, and I’m incredibly proud to be a former pupil and now president of the Ashvillian Society,.”

Ashville College Headmaster Richard Marshall said: “This will be my third Decades Lunch since joining Ashville as its tenth Headmaster, and it’s always a great occasion.

“Ashville has a long and rich history, and I’m looking forward to meeting past pupils and staff members who were at Ashville during these ten years and showing them around the school.”

Former pupils and staff members wishing to attend should email: [email protected] for more information.