Eliana-Grace in Upper III came up with the wonderful idea of organising a visit to a local care home to share poetry – over some tea and cake!

As we knew that an Abbey alumnae lives at a home in Henley, it seemed the perfect place to visit.

Our students were warmly welcomed by Jennifer from the Class of 1957, along with other residents.

It was such a joy to see them appreciating beautiful poetry readings, chatting with our students and enjoying an Abbey brownie, which went down a treat!

Each student read out a poem of their choice and they even inspired one of the residents to share one of their favourites as well.

Eliana-Grace said, “I am very grateful to everyone that supported my idea and managed to make it work. I’ve always believed that the world is a bit too loud for its own good. That’s why I find myself retreating into poetry; it’s where I go to find the quiet between the words. Whether I’m reading Mary Oliver or writing my own stories or poems, poetry is how I make sense of everything else I do. And when I’m not reading or writing, I’m likely balancing that quiet time with crochet, swimming, or football. Between the focus needed for the piano and the energy of a match, I find that having a mix of hobbies is what keeps my creative spark alive.”

It felt a real privilege for current students to be able to chat to an Abbey alumnae from the 1950s.

The students were fascinated to hear that the swimming pool used to be outside and asked Jennifer if they had to swim in it during winter. There was relief that the answer was no!

It was compelling to hear Jennifer talk about how her mother also attended The Abbey as a boarder. Jennifer herself was a day student, along with her sister, and she reminisced about her dad dropping them off at the bus stop in Henley before he went to work.

Jennifer describes The Abbey back then as, “a good school, we had a lot of opportunities to do things and I met Geraldine.” She is still in touch with her best friend Geraldine, and her face lit up at her mention. A testament to lasting legacies of friendships forged at The Abbey.

As the students departed, Jennifer said, “I’m so glad this has happened. It’s good to have the youngsters mix in with us.”

It was a pleasure for our students to mix with them as well.