Page 41 - The Old Ratcliffian 2015 Magazine

OLD RATCLIFFIAN NEWS
Law earlier this year. After graduating, he
started applying for training contracts,
and has just been offered a position with
RadcliffesLeBrasseur, starting in 2017,
which he will commence upon completing
law school next year. All in all, it has been
a pretty successful year, and we are all
looking forward to what 2016 has in store
for us.”
Freddie (08), Felicity (06) & William
Bainbridge (12)
Francesca Gamble (04): “After working
for a couple of big, international agencies
for the last six years, at the start of 2015, I the Kelvingrove Museum. Next year, on
decided to set up my own communications
consultancy, Twenty-Nine London (www.
twentynine.london). This specialises in
luxury and lifestyle brands within the PR,
digital and marketing sectors, both for
some of the biggest brands in the world,
as well as ones that are just starting out.
I recently completed our first sponsorship
deal with a soft drinks brand, which
replaced Coca Cola as Official Sponsor of
London Fashion Week; we don’t just work
in fashion, but sport, music and film as
well. I’m always on the hunt for talented
people, so get in touch!”
Francesca Gamble (04) with her
boyfriend, Nathan
Gerald Della-Porta (49): “In September
2015, a group of great Old Ratcliffians
of senior vintage, along with their kind,
gallant and wonderful wives, came to
Edinburgh for their 10th Anniversary
gathering. This year, there were
four couples: Jennifer and Douglas
Chamberlain (50), Trish and Tony Fearn
(50), Margaret and Paul Simmons (51),
Eileen and John Wolfle (49); missing
41
due to temporary health hazard were
Elizabeth and Nicholas Mayne (49);
Gerald Della-Porta, one single, was
the host. The group stayed for four
nights at The Royal Scots Club (RSC) in
Abercromby Place, and they enjoyed the
great comfort of the bedrooms, dining
room, and the all-important lift. The
RSC was definitely a five-star of superb
value, and a quality match for the best in
Edinburgh; the cleanliness and service
were impeccable, and it was altogether
a perfect stay. A comfortable coach trip
to The Burrell Collection at Glasgow was
especially appreciated, as was lunch at
to Cambridge, when we hope to be back
to full strength, with five couples and one
single! Our group is heavily weighted with
senior medics, including two professors
- not all of us have retired! Several are
engaged in charity and caring, both for
parish and family; another runs a bed
and breakfast 24/7. We do not all know
of each other’s families, but the group
owns (or owns up to) many children and
grandchildren, whom we believe are
doing good works.”
Gerald Della-Porta (49), far right, with friends needs. The project continues, but I can
in Edinburgh
James Heathcote (75): “On leaving
Ratcliffe, I went into medicine, as
planned, and am still enjoying a long and
interesting career as a GP in Bromley. The
NHS may be going through a difficult
patch, but it’s still a very rewarding
job. This year, Barbara and I celebrated
our Silver Wedding Anniversary, and
the eldest of our four children has now
qualified as a doctor and is working in
Liverpool. In 2017, health permitting,
we plan to semi-retire home to Bury St
Edmunds, where we have bought the
house that I grew up in. We plan to run
a small bed and breakfast there, and I
also hope to keep doing locum work as a
doctor to stop me getting bored!”
The following picture shows, from the
left, Jonty Miles (57), former Chairman of
the Association, Anne Simmonds-Walder,
Register online at www.ratcliffianassociation.co.uk
mother of Mark Simmonds (95), and her
brother, Ewan Simmonds (59), pictured
at Anne’s home in Canford Cliffs, Poole.
The photo was taken the morning after
having been to Brownsea Island to watch
the last night of Shakespeare’s The
Tempest by the Brownsea Players. Unlike
last year, which produced a tempest, the
weather was fine, and a great time was
had by all.
L to R: Jonty Miles (57), Anne Simmonds-
Walder & Ewan Simmonds (59)
Sam Clemons (98): “I’ve had a busy life
since leaving Ratcliffe. After university,
I set up my own carpentry and joinery
business, Hortus Ligneous Ltd,
specialising in oak frames; this allowed me
to follow my dream of working for myself,
doing something I love. The biggest thing
that I brought away from university was
my beautiful wife, Charlotte. We married
at Christmas time in 2004 and now
have four amazing children: Claudia (9),
Beatrix (8), Barnaby (6), and Diggory (3).
We live happily in the house in which I
grew up and have spent the last few years
renovating it to meet our own family’s
safely say that we are ‘getting there’.
Now, nine years on, we have finished
building our Clemons workforce of the
future, and we have embarked upon a new
venture, ‘From the Oak Tree’. We have
been investigating many possibilities to
do with our waste (offcuts of timber) and
green issues that affect us all, so we now
‘up-cycle’ these offcuts into unique and
Sam Clemons (98) & his family