Bolton School is delighted to announce the conclusion to the third annual Alumni of the Year Awards.
These 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. Those nominated are Alumni who embody the School’s ethos of producing people who go out into the world and make a difference for good.
Nominations opened in spring 2024, and after careful consideration a shortlist of nominees for both the Old Girl and Old Boy awards was decided by the Heads of Foundation, Girls’ Division, Boys’ Division and Primary Division:
Old Girl of the Year: Ann Bailey (Class of 1981), Karen Greenhalgh (Class of 2000), and Habibunnisha Patel (Class of 1997)
Old Boy of the Year: Michael Noone (Class of 2003), Frank Yates (Class of 1952) and brothers Tom (Class of 2001) Matthew (Class of 2003) and Harry (Class of 2006) Pickup
Once the finalists were selected, in the summer term pupils in the Boys’ Division, Girls’ Division, Junior Boys’ School and Junior Girls’ School discovered more about the difference these inspirational alumni have made in their lives after leaving Bolton School. After hearing about each of the shortlisted nominees, they cast their votes for the person they felt was the most deserving of the two Awards.
The winners as voted by pupils and staff at Bolton School were:
Habibunnisha Patel was named Old Girl of the Year, recognising her many years as a lawyer in the not-for-profit sector. She spent a decade working in non-governmental international aid and development organisations that serve to protect fundamental human rights and freedoms. She has worked across organisations focusing on international aid, girls’ education and promoting and protecting children’s rights. She is currently two years into her role as General Counsel at Cancer Research UK, a Board Trustee for the World Humanitarian Action Forum, and was named in this year’s The Lawyer’s 2024 ‘Hot 100’ Lawyers, as well as being a regular contributor to Radio 2’s ‘Pause for Thought’ segment.
Frank Yates was named Old Boy of the Year in recognition of his career as a doctor. After qualifying as in 1957, he chose to undertake Colonial Service in Nigeria and, between 1958 and 1962, he worked in challenging conditions to deliver healthcare across a region the size of Britain. He radically reformed the hospital, performed complex surgeries to treat life-threatening conditions and diseases, and was among the first to treat Trachoma, saving the sight of hundreds of locals. When he returned to the UK, he joined a small GP practice in Adlington and, over the next 33 years, developed and modernised the practice and in the course of his career supervised the delivery of 2,000 babies. His dedication and support of the families in his care through their life events earned him great respect as a family doctor.
Both Habibunnisha and Frank, along with the rest of the shortlisted alumni, were invited back to Bolton School for a celebratory lunch where they were presented with their awards and certificates. Afterwards, Junior and Senior School pupils gathered together in the Girls’ Division Great Hall, and Zoomed in remotely from classrooms, for an assembly in which the winners were announced to current pupils and the achievements of all the finalists were commended.
The gathered audience was delighted to hear from Habi and Frank about their lives and work, sharing in their own words the contributions they have made.
To bring the assembly to a close, Mr Britton shared and celebrated those alumni who were shortlisted, noting that it was a major honour to have been named as one of the finalists. In his closing remarks, he looked back on the comments made by the Old Girl and Old Boy of the Year to draw out the threads of connection, community and the enduring fabric of school life throughout history that were encapsulated in both of their addresses.
The pupils assembled in the Girls’ Division Great Hall no doubt left inspired to follow in the footsteps of all the shortlisted alumni, and make a difference for good.
The Alumni of the Year Awards will run again in 2025 with nominations opening in the spring.
Watch the Alumni of the Year Awards Assembly:
Read the Awards Programme:
See more photos:
