About Us
Moving on? Keeping in touch is easy!
The Symondians’ Association’s aim is to bring together former Symondians to enable them stay in touch with each other. We hold sporting and social events throughout the year, support the College through sponsorship and awards and provide an opportunity to seek career advice from other members.
Originally known as the Old Symondians’ Association from its founding on 8th April 1911, it changed to the Old Symondians’ Society in the 1980s.
The name ‘The Symondians’ Association’ was adopted in 2012.
Can you help?
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If you have any photographs of the school taken during your years there, would you be willing to submit copies to our online archive? We would be most grateful for any contributions. Please submit your material using this form.
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Can you identify any faces in the photographs in our archives of the 1930s to more recent decades? If they jog your memory and you can put names to faces please let us know using this form.
Sporting and Social Activities
The Society provides a number of opportunities for former students to meet up socially or to relive previous sporting triumphs.
Golf
Three well-established golfing events occur annually. The annual Triangular Tournament with Old Edwardians and Old Tauntonians plus our own Old Symondians Cup. Both are held at Hockley Golf Club.
The Peverell Cup is an enjoyable tournament which raises funds for charity and is usually held on the day of the Annual Dinner.
Annual Dinner
The Annual Dinner held in Winchester is the largest set piece event of the year for the Association.
Popular items during the evening are a performance by students of the Music Department, who have received awards from the Association, and a speech by the Principal.
Cricket
The College vs The Association has been relaunched after a long absence and has become a significant social as well as playing fixture.
Supporting The College
In the spirit of our founder, the mercer Peter Symonds, the Association raises money regular Departmental Awards and event sponsorships for the College.
In recent years we have supported Music, English Lang/Lit, Maths, Geography, Physics, Law, Sport, BTEC Business and Career Departments. In the years ahead, with an increasing membership, we intend that this financial effort should increase.
The Association has strong ties with the
Guild of Mercers Scholars in the City of London; several members are Guild Masters to former students from the College, who have become their ‘apprentices’.
A Greeting From The President
It’s a privilege to be elected President of The Symondians’ Association.
I attended the Grammar School in the early to mid 1960s and that time left me with a strong sense of belonging and worth, which has served me well throughout my life, both in employment and in the sports that I played. I am therefore committed to supporting the College in order to help ensure current students benefit, as I did, from that very special something that Symonds offers.
The prime driver, other than maintaining contact with past students, is that The Symondians' Association has become a philanthropic organisation turning our appreciation of our school days into tangible benefit for the current cohort.
Thanks to the loyalty and generosity of our membership we have, our programme of financial support for the College continues via the annual departmental awards competition and the subsidies we give to support college events.
Government tight controls on funding in education has not allowed some of the ‘nice to haves’ to take place in state sector educational institutions, only being able to fund core essentials. The Symondians’ Association has stepping in to support the student body, notably in extra-curricular activities and career progression facilities.
This is the least we can do as a recognition of the excellence that Peter Symonds College achieves year-in and year-out.
I look forward to meeting members at college events and at our own social events..
~ Steve Hankin
To join the Association, please click here.
