Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Disturbing rumours have winged their way north up the A.24 to leafy Dorking !

Are there more financial problems besetting our beloved C.H. ??

I hear that Quadrant Events may well be closing down. Allegedly, they will honour all bookings up until 2007 but none after that ! (Not making enough money, allegedly !)

One would assume that if this is true, this reflects on the recent closure of the school shop.

Also, the 15 year old, (ONLY 15 YEARS OLD ?) Sports Center requires re-roofing. The School reckon they can't afford to shut it for the 3 months it will take, as they are 'worried' that members will go 'elsewhere' !

What IS going on with the Schools finances ??

Answers , on an 'open' cheque, to............................

J.R. wrote: Also, the 15 year old, (ONLY 15 YEARS OLD ?) Sports Center requires re-roofing.

I haven't heard anything - then again, I probably wouldn't anyway!

15 years does seem a very short period of time to require a new roof.......so let's hope it's not true....

How long is it since the boarding houses had new roofs??

J

The boarding houses have never as far as I'm aware had new roofs...

Quadrant Events closing down? Surely not. There's pots of cash to be made there. That must be either from mis-management or from serious loss of good will (also arising from mis-management). When I worked for them, we were making a nice, tidy sum for the school. The revenue increased threefold in three years... and there were only two of us full time (and being paid peanuts)...

Perhaps it's being re-invented/re-launched...

Deb GP wrote: Quadrant Events closing down? Surely not. There's pots of cash to be made there.

You would think so, wouldn't you?

I would imagine that there are plenty of new opportunities to be had.

A serious publicity campaigned aimed at the music industry would be a good place to start.

Conferences, music festivals, recordings, concerts etc., and all at the place where 'Rock School' was filmed.

Someone should be jumping on this........

It would be obscene not to...

Not to mention all the weddings / parties etc...

Anyone fancy setting up a nice little sideline?

Combining the skills of the contributors to this forum would make for an awesome company...

BTaylor wrote:Anyone fancy setting up a nice little sideline?

Combining the skills of the contributors to this forum would make for an awesome company...

I've always liked the idea of event management...

The following is a quote I received from an un-named source.

"They put fibreglass in for roof panels on rooms, and bored P.E. students knock them out. At least, that's all I can think of for problems with roofing.

But C.H. is getting really poor now. They spent £17 million on refurbishing Lamb, Peele and Leigh Hunt. They spent £2 million on Maine. They are spending £2 million on Thornton. The belt really is tightening."

Fibre-glass roof panels ?? Asking for trouble, ESPECIALLY at a school

The second paragraph speaks for itself !

What's up for sale next ? The QUAD itself ? Should be able to build many nice holiday appartments on something that size !

Hadn't heard about the re-roofing, but it comes as no surprise when you consider the plan the Property Committee went for.
Please refer to Masterplan - from bad to much much worse II. In it I mention that certain Almoners involved in the awarding of the Sports Centre contract curiously didn't go with the suggested design by the market leading company at the time. This involved a structure based on the girder designs so much more familiar today (Sorry, I don't have the specific term to hand but think modern supermarkets, other sports centres etc).
The design they did go for? (Despite the company's quote being far more than the market leader's).
A more traditional brick wall and roof structure - a choice that baffled many.
Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention. There are certain links between individuals on the Property Committee, individuals from the construction company that won the contract and individuals from the brick manufacturers who won the sub-contract from the construction company.
The Ridley Society has names and documents. As mentioned, it is all with the Charities Commission at the moment.

spiderlegs wrote:Hadn't heard about the re-roofing, but it comes as no surprise when you consider the plan the Property Committee went for.
Please refer to Masterplan - from bad to much much worse II. In it I mention that certain Almoners involved in the awarding of the Sports Centre contract curiously didn't go with the suggested design by the market leading company at the time. This involved a structure based on the girder designs so much more familiar today (Sorry, I don't have the specific term to hand but think modern supermarkets, other sports centres etc).
The design they did go for? (Despite the company's quote being far more than the market leader's).
A more traditional brick wall and roof structure - a choice that baffled many.
Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention. There are certain links between individuals on the Property Committee, individuals from the construction company that won the contract and individuals from the brick manufacturers who won the sub-contract from the construction company.The Ridley Society has names and documents. As mentioned, it is all with the Charities Commission at the moment.

So everything was 'Above-Board', then ??

CH as we know has assets totalling somewhere in the region of £240m. However, this is much reduced from previous levels, and many measures are currently underway, namely;

Students must provide most of their own paper
Bread and milk supplies in house are also much reduced.
I think the heating is slightly lower than normal!

On a much bigger scale;

School visits may well begin to cost more

There are more measures which escape me, but others will know

palgsm93 wrote:

darthmaul wrote:CH as we know has assets totalling somewhere in the region of £240m. However, this is much reduced from previous levels, and many measures are currently underway, namely;

Students must provide most of their own paper
Bread and milk supplies in house are also much reduced.
I think the heating is slightly lower than normal!

On a much bigger scale;

School visits may well begin to cost more

There are more measures which escape me, but others will know

Don't you get some government incentive for studying A Levels nowadays?

£30 a week, isn't it? So I've heard, anyway.

Apparently you're obliged to attend your lessons in order to qualify, though!

Richard Ruck wrote:

palgsm93 wrote:

darthmaul wrote:CH as we know has assets totalling somewhere in the region of £240m. However, this is much reduced from previous levels, and many measures are currently underway, namely;

Students must provide most of their own paper
Bread and milk supplies in house are also much reduced.
I think the heating is slightly lower than normal!

On a much bigger scale;

School visits may well begin to cost more

There are more measures which escape me, but others will know

Don't you get some government incentive for studying A Levels nowadays?

£30 a week, isn't it? So I've heard, anyway.

Apparently you're obliged to attend your lessons in order to qualify, though!

B*gger !!!!!