INSPIRED RESILIENCE
I WAS MINDBLOWINGLY LUCKY TO HAVE HAD THE MUSIC I HAD AT WINCHESTER ; IT WAS SO MUCH FUN : IT ENABLED ME TO TRAVEL TO COUNTRIES SUCH AS GERMANY , LATVIA AND EVEN RUSSIA .
He raised nearly £ 1,700 which went to local charities Naomi House and Jack ’ s Place . ‘ It was very cool for me , and facilitating this made me happy to do something worthwhile ’.
In his years at Winchester , Thomas raised over £ 40K for charities . As part of his Community Service he volunteered to wash up dishes for Night Shelter , a local place of refuge for the homeless . He relished talking to the chefs and being involved . Asked why he undertook this when he was so busy , he said ‘ I liked getting to know the regulars ; you don ’ t do it for recognition ; it just became part of my weekly routine ’. A typical Wykehamist then , to the extent that he sought to serve , but without blowing his own trumpet . For his efforts Thomas won the Martin Clarke Prize for Community Service , earning himself £ 500 , split between himself and a donation to a local charity .
What was his experience as a local boy attending Winchester ? He has many friends from going to a local school from the age of five . Occasionally he has had to field awkward questions ( regarding attending a private school ), but no friendships have faded . In terms of gaining acceptance from his peers , street cred ’ by directing people from the back streets that he knows so well .
Thomas began his music training at St Peter ’ s Primary School in Winchester . Before entering College , he sang as a Quirister at The Pilgrims ' School . Music became a passion : singing and also playing the piano and cello : ‘ I was mindblowingly lucky to have had the music I had at Winchester ; it was so much fun : it enabled me to travel to countries such as Germany , Latvia and even Russia ’. He loved Glee Club , and Chapel Choir was ‘ one of the most positive aspects of my music ’. His love of music continues at UPenn , but , ‘ It is not the same ,’ he states ; and one day he would love to return to sing , perhaps in an Oxford environment .
What does Winchester ’ s motto mean for Thomas ? ‘ I did not notice it tremendously , but my grandma constantly reminded me of it at mealtimes at home ! It is relevant today : Manners Makyth Man does not mean Manners Makyth Wykehamists ; the word ‘ Man ’ relates to human beings in general , and the motto provides a vision for Winchester which extends well beyond the school bubble itself ’.
He opines that Winchester has had no choice but to change and adapt over the centuries and that ‘ William of Wykeham ’ s original vision can be viewed in different ways ’. This compares favourably , he says , to some new institutions which are established for a specific purpose and are therefore less amenable to change . From his time in College , Thomas imbibed the history : ‘ I loved the Chamber system and it was incredible to live in those buildings ’.
He describes his ethos : ‘ When I decided I wanted to start something , I was 36