In Spring 2022, Bolton School launched its inaugural Alumni of the Year Awards. The Awards were initiated to celebrate the myriad contributions of the Old Boys and Old Girls to society and, through their example, to inspire the next generation of pupils currently studying at the School.
The Awards seek to recognise Alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to society through their voluntary service, academic achievements or professional success, or whose behaviour and values inspire others – in short, those Alumni who embody the School's ethos of producing people who go out into the world and make a difference for good, and have delivered upon the famous exhortation of the Girls' Division prayer, that "much will be expected of those to whom much is given".
In May, members of the School community were asked to nominate Alumni whom they felt were deserving of the awards for Old Boy and Old Girl of the Year. The shortlists were:
Old Girl of the Year: Dr Sheila Fisher (née Platt, Class of 1970), Thorrun Govind (Class of 2010), Charlotte Morley (née Maddrell, Class of 1999) and Rebecca Turner (née Maudsley, Class of 2006)
Old Boy of the Year: Sir Philip Craven, MBE (Class of 1968), Max Griffiths and Sam Yates (both Class of 2001), Richard Morris (Class of 1986) and Philip Worthington (Class of 2003)
Pupils from across the Junior and Senior Schools in both Divisions were invited to choose the nominee they felt was the most deserving winner of each of the two Awards in a vote conducted at the end of the Summer Term:
Dr Sheila Fisher was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the Old Girl of the Year Award, in recognition of her distinguished career as the UK's first female maxillofacial surgeon and her voluntary service within her local community.
Sir Philip Craven was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the Old Boy of the Year Award, in recognition of his outstanding sporting achievements and his lifelong dedication to the development of Paralympic sports.
The close nature of this pupil vote, combined with the strength of Alumni support for the nominees and their achievements, led the School to present two further awards, for Outstanding Achievement, in addition to the two Alumni of the Year Awards.
Rebecca Turner was the recipient of the Old Girls’ Outstanding Achievement Award, in recognition of her extensive fundraising in aid of the Blue Skies Hospital Fund, undertaken in memory of her younger brother, Tom, who passed away in May 2020 following a short but brave battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
Max Griffiths and Sam Yates were the joint winners of the Old Boys’ Outstanding Achievement Award, in recognition of the impact of LivLife, the charity they founded 16 years ago to enrich the lives of economically disadvantaged people in North Tanzania.
These five alumni will be presented with their Awards at a special assembly for pupils from both Divisions to be held in the Spring Term.
The School offers all of the recipients heartfelt congratulations on their well-deserved awards.
Nominations for the 2023 Alumni of the Year Awards will open in Spring 2023.
