A.O.S.A. 2000 ANNUAL REPORT

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Each year my report to Old Scholars gets shorter and doubtless I will soon have nothing worthwhile to report. The new Committee consisting of three Old Scholars and three representatives of Durham General Meeting now controls the little remaining administration.

Meeting for Sufferings has distributed the remaining funds it has been sent from the School. £10,000 has been sent to each of the remaining Friends' Schools and to Breckenborough School, a special school run by Yorkshire Friends. £50,000 is to be added to the residue from Wigton Friends' School in a new trust to provide bursaries for Friends in the North of England and Southern Scotland attending educational courses. £60,000 has been given to Ayton Friends for the refurbishment of the Meeting House. Finally £10,000, together with any further funds which may be passed on by the School Committee, will be given to the fund which provides bursaries for children attending any of the Friends' Schools.

On the site building progresses at some pace. The conversions from Rawdon House to the library are finished, as are several houses on the biology lab area. The two new blocks overlooking staff terrace are also partially occupied and work has started on the third new block. Conversion of the main buildings of Richardson Hall proceeds slowly as much structural repair work has been necessary, but it will doubtless be well advanced by the summer.

Last year's Old Scholars' reunion was the occasion for the launch of an appeal for funds to alter the Meeting House to make it more suitable for the needs of the Ayton community following the closure of the School. The response from Old Scholars has been nothing short of magnificent, with donations to date (January) totalling £26,000 with a further £10,000 from the sale of benches. This sum together with the £60,000 from School Funds and £109,000 raised brings the appeal to a total of £205,000. As this figure is close to the revised costing of £220,000 Ayton Friends are to put the work in hand. Planning permission has been applied for and we hope that the work will at least have started if not be well advanced by the summer. Our aim is to have all finished by the autumn so the facilities are available for next winter's meetings and courses.

Robert Campbell
Chairman of
Ayton School Committee

I have found the job of finding new homes for the Meeting House benches such a therapeutic experience. It has been so wonderful to reach beyond the trauma of the loss of our School to happier times when the School was a living, thriving community, and to share so many happy memories with Old Scholars who have come to Ayton to collect “their” bench. I have sold 42 benches (five to “outsiders”, the rest to Old Scholars) and have raised just over £10,000 for Ayton Meeting refurbishment. One bench has gone to Thailand, one to Luxembourg, one to Portugal, and the rest throughout the length and breadth of Britain. I am so very grateful to everyone who has been able to give one of “my” benches a new home. I still have four benches left to sell, and would very much like them to go to Old Scholar homes; do get in touch if you are interested.

Jane Campbell

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