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Development:
Gift of £400,000 to the Design Centre
In March, the school was delighted
to hear that the Dudley and Geoffrey
Cox Charitable Trust wished to make a
gift of £400,000 towards the new
Design Centre.
Dudley Cox and his son Geoffrey
were both OMTs who ran a very
successful group of construction and
property companies. In 1979 they
created the Dudley and Geoffrey
Cox Charitable Trust to support
charitable interests, with particular
interest in education. They bequeathed
significant funds to the Charitable
Trust, which has been very supportive
of the school over the years, providing
many scholarships and prizes. With
Dudley and Geoffrey’s interest in
construction and design, the trustees
felt the new Design Centre at
Merchant Taylors’ was a perfect fit for
the Trust’s objectives.
Their generous gift of £400,000 will
fund equipment in the new building
which will give pupils the possibility
to reach a level of sophistication in
3D design and manufacture which
would otherwise not be possible. With
equipment of this standard, the school
will be a leading centre for Design and
Technology and can become a hub
school in the area, allowing pupils and
teachers from other schools to benefit
from the facility and the expertise at
Merchant Taylors’.
In recognition of this wonderful gift,
the school intends to name two spaces
in the new building – the CNC Design
Hub and the Major Projects Workshop
– after the two benefactors, Dudley and
Geoffrey Cox.
There will be a series of events
during Design Week in October 2015
when it will be possible to come to see
the new facility and equipment in place.
Phab’s Casino Royale
On Friday 20th March, the 2015 Phab Team hosted a
black tie Casino Night. The Development and Alumni
Relations Office contacted as many OMTs as possible that
had previously taken part in Phab. They, along with current
parents, were treated to an excellent occasion. The 124
guests enjoyed music by MTS group ‘Merchants of Groove’
throughout the drinks reception in the Undercroft, before
settling in the Dining Room for the evening. The Dining
Room was transformed into a casino and, after a delicious
three course meal provided by the school’s catering team, the
guests were able to chance their luck at the blackjack, poker
and roulette tables.
The night was a huge success, raising over £5,000 for Phab
Week 2015. The 2015 Phab Team thanks everyone who has
supported not only the Casino Night, but all their fundraising
endeavours this year.
AfternoonTea at Sandy Lodge
On 20th March we held an afternoon tea in the Exam Hall
for OMTs who left the school in 1970 or earlier. Some OMTs
had not been back to the school in over forty years, so saw
some quite significant changes to the buildings and grounds.
58 guests were treated to some exceptional performances
in the afternoon. Two outstanding duologues from the recent
competition were chosen to perform along with one of our
new music scholars.
The afternoon tea itself was exceptional and the guests
paid many compliments to the school’s catering team.
While the guests ate, the Head Master spoke about how the
school is developing while staying true to the Founders’
values, and about our wish to re-engage with OMTs of all
ages through social gatherings as well as networking and
careers opportunities.
It was great to see so many OMTs back at Sandy Lodge,
and we were delighted to be asked by many that we make it
an annual event.
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Concordia
Merchant Taylors’ School
Summer
2015