Forest Prep School’s Centenary Gala Concert was held on 21 November 2024, at the remarkable Stoller Hall in Manchester City Centre to celebrate 100 years of the school. This milestone event was a sell-out, bringing together former staff and pupils, current and former parents and the school’s alumni pupil musicians, who were invited to participate in the performances. A special mention to Dawn Craig (Class of 1989), the oldest alumni to perform, played the flute to You’re the Voice and We’ll Meet Again. Dawn was joined on the stage accompanied by other former Foresters; Marcus Florin (2018), Natasha Henderson (2023), Edward Needham (2018), Zainab-Eliza Hassan (2024), and Amelia Waghorn (2024).
The program celebrated Forest’s 100-year legacy with a journey through music, featuring a song from each decade beginning with ‘Jerusalem’ in the 1920s and concluding in the 2020s. These performances were delivered by Upper School children and choreographed by Ms. Wellings, Forest’s Director of Music.
Interspersed throughout were short speeches given by the current headteacher, Mr. Booth, alongside the deputy headteachers, two former headteachers from as far back as the 1980s, and an alumnus. Together they light heartedly reflected the decades and reminisced about Forest in the early days and how the school has evolved over the 100 years. A key theme running throughout the speeches was that although the education landscape has changed, the values of the school have remained the same and stayed strong. Forest is inclusive and strives to develop resilient learners who have a voice in the classroom, on the sports field and when performing.
Ms. Wellings shared her pride in the children’s efforts: "I am beyond proud of all the children. Hundreds of hours went into rehearsing the songs and pieces for this special occasion. Music is an intrinsic part of life at Forest, and this concert was a wonderful way to celebrate our Centenary year."
The true stars of the evening were the Upper School children, who sang beautifully with big smiles on their faces, clearly showing their enjoyment for performing on the stage.
