THE sun shone on Bedstone College’s speech day as a crowd of 600 parents, friends and scholars enjoyed the finals of the swimming gala. They also basked in the sunshine of success as head Michael Symonds told them of the school’s achievements.

He stressed the school’s strong record of academic success. He spoke of the increased demand for places at the school and the need for Bedstone to expand its prep school with plans, drawn up by architects Hook Mason of Hereford, going before planners.

Bedstone was about educating the whole person, he said, and went on to list the many achievements in sport, music, drama, as well as in national competitions, such as the UK maths challenge.

Prizes were presented by Lt Col Bridget Rose, former chief of media operations in Bosnia and the voice of NATO in Afghanistan, who, having just retired from the Army, had stood as an MEP in the local elections.

Lt Col Rose spoke to all the prize winners and then gave a witty account of her progress through the Army and her life decisions – done as a parody of Bridget Jones’s Diary. Her speech was received with tumultuous applause and she was warmly thanked by heads of college Jessica Chadderton and Jonathon Cope.