Rugbeian Community

Yesterday, Rugbeian Brian Ip (C 75-80) returned to Rugby School visiting his old house, Cotton, where he enjoyed lunch with the Head of House, Caken, and the Deputy Head of House, Tom.

It was a pleasure to welcome Brian back to the School. During his time at Rugby, Brian served as Head of Cotton in 1980. Brian, Caken and Tom, all pictured, shared reflections on their experiences at the School and discussed their respective roles within the House.

Congratulations to Liam Crabb (T 19–24), who recently represented Great Britain at the Junior World Cup in Olympic Trap, finishing 17th out of 284 competitors.

Olympic Trap is one of the two shotgun disciplines featured at the Olympic Games.
The competition saw 284 athletes from 26 countries take part over the course of the weekend.

Liam began clay target shooting whilst in D block and quickly progressed, going on to win the Inter-Schools Championships.

Many congratulations to Liam on this outstanding achievement.

Tudor House Refurbishment Update

At the end of April, the first trusses for the new pitched roof at Tudor House were successfully craned into place - an exciting milestone in the project.

This marks a major step forward, replacing the flat roof that was installed in the 1960s after a fire destroyed the original pitched roof. Reintroducing the pitched design will create valuable additional space within the building.

This new space will allow us to add en-suite facilities to all rooms, along with a new House kitchen, upgraded study areas and enhanced social spaces.

The Rugbeian Society Theatre Club, welcomes you to join them for their latest trip, visiting the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London to see ‘Hercules’!

The performance is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by David Zippel, a brand-new book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, and co-choreography by Tanisha Scott, Hercules delivers a thrilling night out at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane that leaves you ready to conquer anything.

The running time of Hercules is 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.

Please note, the show contains strobe lighting and haze.

Date: 6 May 2026
Price: £30

Tickets are avalible on the Rugbeian Community website.

Rugbeian Lloyd Richards (T 81-86) is starring as Richard Burton in the acclaimed one-man play 'Playing Burton', with performances at Rugby Theatre and the Priory Theatre in Kenilworth.

Inspired by a lifelong admiration for Burton and a unique family connection, Lloyd describes the role as “the privilege of my acting life.” His father, a former Rugby School teacher and Welsh international rugby player, even met Burton on more than one occasion.

We encourage members of the Rugby School community to support this production and experience what Lloyd calls “one of the greatest one-man shows ever written.”

Read more about what Lloyd calls “one of the greatest one-man shows ever written” here: https://rugbeiancommunity.com/news/rugbeian-news/680/680-Lloyd-Richards-T-81-86-Playing-Burton

Launching Rugby School’s new regular giving campaign - the 1567 Society

Playing on the very date of our school foundation, we are encouraging donations of denominations of 1567 - for example £15.67 per month or per quarter, £156.70, £1567 etc. - we have made this society as broad and as accessible as possible.

All donations will go towards building our endowment for means-tested bursary provision through the sector-leading Arnold Foundation. For many students, it provides a sanctuary, a chance to challenge themselves, to grow as individuals and to flourish in their pursuits.

The bursary is not merely a financial award; rather, it is an opportunity for these young people to stand tall, knowing that they have earned their place at Rugby on merit.

Join our 1567 Society here: https://rugbeiancommunity.com/pages/1567-society

Sari Wildsmith (B 04-09): one of five to complete the DW Race on Paddleboard.

Rugbeian Sari Wildsmith (B 04-09) has recently completed the Devizes to Westminster (DW) race on a paddleboard - an accomplishment that places her among a very select group worldwide.

Covering 125 miles along the Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Thames, the DW race is widely recognised as one of the UK’s most demanding endurance events.

Completing it on a paddleboard is an exceptional feat of strength, balance and determination. In her own words, it was an “amazing experience,” made even more special by the incredible support she received throughout the journey. She also admitted that she was not certain she would be able to finish, which makes her success all the more remarkable. She can now proudly claim a place among the top five in the world to have completed the race on a paddleboard.

Alongside this achievement, she is using her success to make a meaningful difference. She is currently running a prize draw to raise money for charity, with a wonderful prize of lunch for two at the River Café, supporting young people at The Harrow Club – the draw closes on 24 April (https://www.ambustum.co.uk/products/win-lunch-for-two-at-the-river-cafe).

This extraordinary milestone forms part of an even bigger challenge: to complete 1000km on a paddleboard over the summer in support of charity. Support for her summer challenge, whether by donating or helping spread the word, would be greatly appreciated.

After leaving Rugby School, Harriet Tuckett (St 04-06) went on to study Spanish at university, graduating with a BA (Hons) in 2010. Having spent much of her childhood on Spain’s Costa Blanca, her passion for languages naturally developed into a career.

Soon after graduating, she launched her own language tuition business, teaching Spanish to children and adults in small groups and one-to-one. Starting from home in Norfolk, demand quickly grew, leading her to expand into larger premises in the town centre.

By 2012, Harriet had become a Chartered Linguist, specialising in GCSE and A Level tuition. Her business has since evolved into an international language school, with a team of tutors offering five languages to students from leading UK schools and across the globe.

Following the move online in 2020, Harriet’s reach expanded internationally and she now teaches students worldwide alongside her in-person classes.

Harriet's story can be read in the latest edition of the Floreat here - https://rugbeiancommunity.com/resources/floreat/69/floreat-2026

This year marks an important milestone: 50 years of girls at Rugby School.

To celebrate, the Rugbeian Society is continuing Forward Together, a mentoring initiative designed to support and connect female Rugbeians.

Last year, we successfully piloted the programme with 18 mentees, each matched with talented mentors from the Rugbeian community. The programme proved to be a great success, with highly positive feedback from participants, reinforcing the value of building strong connections across the Rugbeian network.

Building on this success, we are expanding the programme this year to include up to 25 mentees and 25 mentors for a series of online mentoring sessions.

Open to women at any stage of their careers, the programme aims to build confidence, support career development, and foster meaningful professional connections. Whether you are seeking guidance or looking to share your experience, this is an opportunity to make a lasting impact.

Hear from mentor David Sanger (SF 79-83) and mentee Lucy Cawkwell (Cr 89-91) on their respective experiences of the society mentoring programme.

The programme is fully funded by the Rugbeian Society and is free to participate in.

If you are interested in joining as either a mentee or a mentor, we encourage you to get involved.

Contact [email protected] to find out more.

Rugbeian Maasai Beaded Belts

Beautifully handcrafted in Kenya by Maasai artisans, with each belt supporting the community behind its creation.

Available via manyatta.co.uk

£85 (including presentation box and postage) - please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery.