Tuesday, 24th March 2020 (Day 1 of Lockdown)
 
Dear Polished Corners,
What a weird, strange and unprecedented journey we are involuntarily taking; each day revealing more horrors and more precautions. As I write, the Prime Minister has just announced we must all stay home and save lives. What more important mission in life could there be?
 
Some of you will be busier than ever now fire-fighting in some way or other, and some will find they have more time on their hands than ever before. I wanted to reach out to all of you and ask how you are doing.
 
Have you ever bumped into an old school friend you haven’t seen for years, perhaps one to whom you weren’t even particularly close, and felt such warmth and delight in re-uniting? To me the relationship between us all is akin to that of a large family. First, second, third cousins, removed however many times - but still there is a familial bond.
 
Let’s unite and show the strength and force of Regent’s Park (née Clarence Gate) Francis Hollanders! If you haven't already, please log in to the alumni network here, where you can reconnect with former classmates and staff and share news and photos.
 
Let us have your news, let us know your feelings as we come to terms with this pandemic. If you lived through a war please do share the comparisons you are making. If you are fighting on the front line you probably won’t have a minute even to read this, but if you do we’d love to hear how you are faring. If you are at home with one, two, three, four, or even more (!) children now perhaps is the time to meet the children of old friends who you’ve been meaning to contact for ages and arrange a virtual play date.
 
If you are a granny, like me, compare notes of how you are keeping in touch with your family from afar, although afar may be geographically very near! I’ve invited all my grands (10years - 15months) to a virtual cooking lesson this afternoon after ‘school’ which should give their parents a break for an hour. Though, the parents may not thank me when they have to clean the kitchen.
 
We span the generations and together we can create an interesting historical record of experiences and how it feels to live through the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.
 
Set up book clubs with each other, play Words with Friends, Backgammon, Bridge, Scrabble. Join each other on Instagram, Snapchat etc. I have set up a bookclub for us on Good Reads - if you email me I can send you an invitation to join. I’ve been ‘at’ Francis Holland, Regent’s Park for years (as a pupil for twelve years and as a parent (Georgina and Lucinda Nedas) for another twelve and I am passionate about the school. It has the same warm heart now as it always did and we are so lucky that all the Heads have been such loyal and supportive Presidents of Quondam.
 
Please do email me at: quondamchair@fhs-nw1.org.uk
The following members of your committee would love to hear from you:
Felicity Forde: felicityforde@yahoo.co.uk 
Jeannine Addinall: derbanne@hotmail.co.uk 
Vivien Rose née Lind: vrose@lptuk.net
Alison Edelshain née Day: aedelshain@gmail.com
 
If you’d like to be put in touch with your nearest Polished Corner please email our lovely Alumni Relations Officer, Claire Brazer at: quondam@fhs-nw1.org.uk with your postal address and she
will try and put you in touch with someone nearby.
 
Finally, if you have friends who have not signed up to receive news from Quondam do please forward this email to them and ask them if they’d like to join.
 
When the rainbow comes out and we can all mix, let’s plan a party!
We went to Francis Holland! We will survive!
 
Take care! Be well!
With love,
Susanne Nedas (née Quastel)
quondamchair@fhs-nw1.org.uk