We are delighted to let you know that our Annual Dinner will take place on Saturday 25th March 2023 at the Crypt School. This will be our first full event since 2019, so we are really hoping to see as many Club members, partners, other former pupils and staff members as possible.
The price of the event will be £33 for members, £36 for non-members and £22.50 for under 21’s. There will also be a bar for drinks before and during the meal. The dress code will be smart casual, not least because many of the men probably can’t find their suits (or they need dry cleaning like most of mine!).
Our guest speaker will be Ian Dench (1975-82). Ian is an award-winning songwriter, having written hits for Beyoncé, All Saints, Shakira and Jamie Cullum, among many others. He’s probably best known for being the guitarist and principal songwriter for local band EMF, who’s debut single Unbelievable became one of the iconic hits of the 90s. Ian has also held several other roles within the music industry, both at home and overseas.
Our AGM will also be held on the above date, details of which will follow in the coming month. The timings for the evening will be;
6:15 pm AGM 6:45 pm Drinks 7:30 pm Annual Dinner
So why not use this as an opportunity to get together with friends, lost acquaintances and make new connections (but not in the Love Island sense!).
Any questions, please drop me a line at pr*******@ol**********.org
Dear Old Cryptians, I was debating with colleagues only three days ago on Friday last week when one can stop wishing people Happy New Year. I think it’s probably mid-January, so I’ve just enough time to wish you a Happy New Year!
There are two really important thing for this eNews – the OCC Annual Dinner and New Committee Members.
First, the Annual Dinner. We are shooting for Saturday 25th March at the school. Resurrecting things after the hiatus caused by the pandemic is not always easy. The momentum is lost and sometimes interest has waned. But I know from experience, getting back together with people is hugely important and can’t be replaced by technology, as wonderful as that is. For now, all I ask is that you save the date and also complete the shortest of forms ever made –https://forms.office.com/r/dJ5NG2uPsF . This will help us gauge interest in the event before we commit and risk club funds on a non-refundable deposit.
Secondly, the Committee. Our AGM will also take place at the end of March. We’re always interested in seeking new committee members, but particularly so at this time, when we need to seek the skills that will strengthen our future as a Club. You can find out more on our website here or contact me direct (pr*******@ol**********.org).
We are looking for new committee members to support the future work of the Old Cryptians’ Club and bring in the skills we need to achieve this.
The Club has a long tradition and heritage, stretching back for more than 100 years. But it also must adapt to ensure and secure its future, reflecting the school as it is now and meeting the needs of younger generations. Most important is enthusiasm and a commitment for change, although we’re particularly interested in former pupils with skills in the following areas;
Finance
Website/tech skills
Communications (online and print)
Events
Membership/networking
The OCC committee comprises 12 members including officers i.e. President, Vice President, Treasurer and one ex-officio who represents the Centenary Bursary Fund. Committee members are elected for two years and if they so wish can stand for re-election in March at the AGM.
The committee meets 3 times a year, usually in October, January and May (hybrid or virtual) with the AGM in March before the Annual Dinner. Meetings last 90 minutes and are agenda based with reports available before the meeting to allow time for questions/decisions/actions.
Being on a Committee is rewarding and helps you develop skills useful both for work and life. Former pupils of any age or background will always have something to give. If you think you could contribute a small amount of your time please do get in touch with our President Simon Smith (email address president at oldcryptians.org) to discuss further.
Welcome to another eNews. Last week we had our AGM and I had hoped to have had an “in person” AGM at the school but covid got in the way as myself and Nick Dyer, the head, both succumbed to it. Hopefully 2023 will see us all be together again for an AGM.
The OCC and the 1539 Foundation
For those of you who didn’t tune in online I wanted to let you know about the work that has been going on over the future of the club in light of the school creating the 1539 Foundation. This has been set up with an education charity to act as a hub for students, alumni and members of the OCC. It works in a similar way to Facebook and connects students and alumni with each other. The initial plan was for it to publicise job opportunities, mentoring from alumni in careers with all of the contacts in one place. Different groups within the foundation can be set up – such as year groups, sports groups etc and members can choose to part of whatever they wish.
There will also be 2-3 social events organised throughout the year based on what different groups emerge. This all sounds a familiar setup and obviously faced the committee with a challenge.
I met with the head a couple of times and along with other members of the committee we undertook a good deal of work to see what that meant for the OCC and how we would have to respond. That culminated earlier this year with the publication of a paper to the committee with three options about the future. One would be to let the 1539 Foundation effectively take on the work of the OCC and for the OCC to fold, another was for the OCC to create a new organisation that would bring the OCC and The Bursary Fund together with paid subscriptions.
What next?
In the end of the committee decided on an option where we will continue as the OCC and effectively become a group within the Foundation hub. The Foundation itself offers resources as it has a part time paid administrator who works for the school links with other schools organisations and the technology platform that simply is not possible for the Old Cryptians as a standalone organisation. That will offer:
Mentors and links for new foundation members
A managed communications hub for OC’s members
Support for organising social occasions such as the annual dinner that may or may not include non-OC foundation members.
The Presidential ceremonial role will continue, as now, within school services as well as provide editorial/publication of The Cryptian.
We have no subscriptions but aim to break even on the annual dinner. This would have little impact or change on what we do now apart from how we organise membership.
Actions
So, this is a potentially big change for the club but it’s not a final done deal yet. There is still a lot of work to do before this all happens. We need a more formal proposal and guidelines about how it will work which will then be put to the membership. I’ll report back in the coming months as we progress.
Annual dinner
Finally a reminder from me that the annual dinner is still planned for June 18th at St Mary de Crypt. We’ll have full details and ticket information as soon as we get everything sorted. So please keep the date free!
The committee once again met online for the latest meeting on October 13th. We were pleased to include the current head boy and head girl to the meeting and enjoyed their reports from the school.
A wide range of topics was discussed, the minutes of which are available here.
The OCC Committee met on 12th May without contravening any lockdown guidance – embracing the 21st century we met by Skype. This marks a new beginning for the committee and will make it easier in the future to welcome committee members wherever they live.
Also historically, but not a first, the President was elected for a second term due to the cancellation of many of our annual events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The minutes of the meeting are available from the meetings page.
For many years, the Old Cryptians’ Club has collected membership fees paid by cheque or Standing Order. Whilst this has mostly worked well in the past, the administrative burden is proving difficult to justify.
To that end, we would like all members to set up a Direct Debit on line. We have chosen an online direct debit system from GoCardless to provide best value for the club. The system is fully compliant with the banking direct debit system and offers full protection under the Direct Debit Guarantee.
Signing up now (and remembering to cancel your standing order) will help us, although there is no requirement to just yet. No money will be taken from your account until 7th January.
Over the next few months, information will be sent out to all members, so please look out for the emails – we’ll not flood your inbox!
