Earlier this month, headmistress Jane Gandee, director of development and alumnae Kate Lewis, and events and engagement officer Sarah Layzell travelled to Hong Kong for a series of events celebrating the St Swithun's community.

The trip opened with a cocktail reception at The Hari Hotel in Wan Chai, where current lower sixth students Ingrid, Natalie and Anissa joined alumnae to share their impressions of school life. The students spoke warmly about how welcoming they had found the school community and how special it is to have such a strong bond of friendships across year groups. One student shared a lovely anecdote about cluster group cooking in Hillcroft House, where the younger years kindly stepped in and took the lead when they noticed how nervous she was. In her mind, this was a small but telling example of the kindness that characterises life at Swithun's. It was a lovely reminder of how the St Swithun's experience continues to resonate across generations.

The following evening, our Bramston Foundation dinner at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club brought together parents, students, former parents and alumnae in a wonderful setting overlooking magnificent views of VIctoria harbour. The evening celebrated the Foundation's two pillars: the transformational bursary programme and Building Active Lives at Swithun's. It concluded with a Caritas Silent Auction, and the evening achieved just over £7,000! It was a fantastic result, and thank you to all who contributed.

On our final day we hosted a traditional British afternoon tea at The Mandarin Oriental and welcomed members of the St Swithun's community and their families. We were joined by former Head Girl, Noelle Lau (ED 2025), alongside lower sixth students Abby, Anissa, Ingrid and Natalie. Together, the students spoke about the independence, confidence and sense of community they have found at school, as well as the breadth of co-curricular opportunities on offer.  Students spoke about their passion for MUN, debate, and enterprise, and the impressive support the school has given them in pursuing it. One student recounted how she and another student had independently gone looking for competitions to enter, found one online, and despite a host of logistical hurdles (arranging transport, securing staff supervision for a return that got them back to school at 11pm) their debate teacher was more than willing to make it happen. It was a wonderful illustration of something each student was keen to emphasise: that at Swithun's there is no pressure to get involved, but there is always the opportunity to do so, at every level.

The trip was a timely reminder of the lasting connections that bring our community together, wherever in the world we are. Thank you to everyone who joined us. We very much look forward to returning next year. Please do let us know if you might be interested in joining us by emailing us at oga@stswithuns.com.

We've put together a selection of photos from the events. Simply click the orange button below to view the gallery. We hope you enjoy them!