The Harvest Party Returns

The Harvest Party, one of Oakham School’s best-loved community events, has made a welcome return after a three-year gap due to Covid.

Oakham School pupils and staff hosted around eighty members of Oakham’s elderly community in the Barraclough Dining Hall, with an afternoon tea, complemented by games, live musical entertainment, and good conversation.

The pupils had spent the morning preparing for the party, organising refreshments and decorating the venue for their guests. This included making sandwiches, setting out cakes, creating flower arrangements for the tables, and putting together party bags that contained flower bulbs and sweet treats.

Daphne Light, one of the guests who attended the party, said: “It’s a lovely occasion. They do a wonderful job. The children are so willing to speak to you.”

Headmaster Henry Price, said: “It is great to welcome once again our guests to the Harvest Party. It’s an important event that keeps us really well connected with our community.”

Henry continued: “We want our boys and girls to contribute to the community while they are at Oakham. It is our hope that if they see how they can make a difference, in a small way, they can take those lessons away with them and continue to make a contribution when they leave Oakham.”

“You can hear the buzz in the room, see the smiles on people’s faces. What a great afternoon.” Henry concluded.

Speaking to Rob Persani of local radio station, Rutland and Stamford Sound, Form 6 pupil Kiril, said: “The past three Harvest Parties were cancelled due to Covid, so it is the first time in a while that people have been able to come here and enjoy the party.”

The Harvest Party is one of many charity and community initiatives that Oakham School is proud to support. Pupils recently visited the Rutland Foodbank to deliver nearly ¾ of a tonne of goods donated by the School community, and Form 6 pupils enjoyed a movie experience with autistic young people as part of their work with Phab.