SOUNDBITES
OP NEWS AND UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
On Saturday 28 June, Neil Readman( 74-76) and Andrew Inns( 83-90) were, we believe, the first two OPs to officiate together in the Yorkshire Premier North Cricket League. The two OPs stood together, as neutral umpires, in the fixture between Hull Zingari CC 1st XI and Sheriff Hutton Bridge CC 1st XI. SHB won the fixture comfortably with both OPs having good games! Pictured above are Andrew and Neil after the game- before a well-earned drink!
David Cheesebrough( 70-81) has been appointed as a Parent Governor, at the Boulevard Academy school in Hull. David qualified as a Human Resources Manager in 1987, after initially working in the United Kingdom in the Electronics, Food Processing, and Oil and Gas industries. He spent 15 years working as a Recruitment Manager in the Middle East and South East Asia, in countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, China and Indonesia. Upon his return to the UK in 2020, he was involved in the recruitment and mobilisation of skilled butchers from the Philippines to the UK. His working career has exposed him to working with a variety of different nationalities, cultures and ethnicities, and has enabled him to develop an understanding of the complexities of working in a unified environment.
Philip Dingwall( 74-82) gained his BSc and MA degrees from the universities of London and Exeter. He then moved to Hong Kong to work in publications and media for the Time Warner group. After several years in Abu Dhabi, where he worked in the Crown Prince’ s office on geopolitical publications, he joined the World Health Organisation. He has served in the WHO offices in Cairo and Geneva and is currently based in the Washington DC office.
In recognition of over 30 years of dedication, Richard Haley( 79-84) has been awarded the prestigious British Empire Medal( BEM) in the King’ s New Year Honours list for services to the Post Office and the community in Doncaster. The announcement, which was officially made at 11:00 PM on 30 December 2024, brought a wave of publicity in the local press and more widely on Sky News. Richard is one of six individuals to receive the BEM this year, a group that includes the renowned England football manager, Gareth Southgate.“ Being recognised alongside such notable figures is an incredible honour,” Richard remarked.
28
PRE- 1990
Richard Sutton( 81-88) attempted to fulfil a 10-year dream by completing the Spartathlon, a 245km ultra race from Athens to Sparta following in the footsteps of Pheidippides, the Athenian messenger, 2500 years ago- and with only 36 hours to complete it! Unfortunately, due to the brutal conditions and extreme temperatures, Richard had to pull out after 29 hours with just 40 kilometres left to go. However, his spirits remain undampened and he is determined to have another attempt sometime in the future- watch this space!
The Right Reverend Graham Usher( Lord High Almoner, OP 81-89) is Lord High Almoner to the King and was one of several distinguished church officials who accompanied the King and Queen to the traditional Maundy Service held at Durham Cathedral. During the ceremony, they distributed the Royal Maundy. Afterwards, Their Majesties attended a reception at the Deanery with representatives from the Chapter, the Diocese, Durham University and the Royal Almonry.
1990- 1999
Sarah Peterman( née Spencer, 88-98) completed the Old Forge Marathon in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. Sarah who has lived in the US with her American husband and two daughters for the last eight years, completed the course with her best friend and running partner, Marsha Bleser. This was her first( and she says‘ last’!) full marathon through some of the most stunning scenery not far from her home.
Oliver Smith( 87-97) was appointed as the new CEO of AMCIS, Admissions Marketing and Communications in Independent Schools, in June 2025. With ten years of experience as the Deputy CEO of the Employee Ownership Association, where he also previously held the position of Head of Membership and Business Development, Oliver brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role. Upon the announcement of his position, he expressed his enthusiasm about connecting with and supporting members and their schools, as part of the AMCIS team.
2000- 2009
Beth Goodliff( née Binks, 93-00) completed the Epona 100, her first 100-mile ultramarathon and thirteenth ultra, in June 2025. The route takes runners through the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons in South Wales, with tough ascents and occasional downhill sections. The race also took place during one of the hottest weekends of the year so far, adding to the challenge of carrying her own food and water and keeping safe and hydrated. Beth was grateful for the support of other runners she’ d teamed up with during the race, as well as her partner and sister who crewed for her, providing practical and emotional support to get her to the finish line in 44 hours of non-stop moving time.
Louise Kirby Jones( 02-09) started a charity, The Motherless Mothers, in June 2024 for motherless mums after becoming a mum for the first time without the love, care and support of her own mother Angela, who died suddenly due to cardiac reasons in June 2012. Along with co-founder, Adina Belloli, Louise has developed a host of services, events and research for women affected by all types of maternal loss including bereavement, mental and physical illness, estrangement, incarceration / custody, and geographical distance. Louise said:“ The impact of having no mum as a mum myself has been life-changing, and this feels like a really positive step in supporting both myself and other women around the world in this often silent and overlooked experience”. If anyone would like access to the charity’ s services, or would like to know more, please visit the website www. themotherlessmothers. com.
Scientist Patrick McIntyre( 02-09) joined Cytiva, a global life sciences firm known for developing and commercialising life-changing therapeutics, as a Biacore Field Application Specialist. In this client-focused role, he supports Biacore system users and collaborates with the sales team to foster long-term partnerships and drive business growth. Patrick holds a First Class MChem degree in Chemistry from the University of Reading and a PhD from the University of Leicester. He began his career as a scientist at Sygnature Discovery and later held senior positions at Aurelia Bioscience and Charnwood Discovery, where he advanced to Principal Scientist before joining Cytiva.