Head groundsman Dave Bradshaw is retiring from his role after 41 years’ service to Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School.

Having joined the school on 5 March 1979, Dave has worked diligently for four decades to maintain the school estate and prepare the playing fields and other sports facilities for use by our children and visiting teams.

His final day at work was marked with a socially-distanced celebration with his friends and colleagues, who presented him with a number of gifts to mark his departure.

Headmaster David Wickes said: “Dave has been a familiar face to generations of boys at our school, who will have regularly seen him assembling rugby posts, preparing the cricket square or riding on a lawnmower in all weather conditions, with only his woolly bobble hat for protection.

“I have had the privilege of visiting many schools and seeing many sports pitches in my career. I can safely say that the work that Dave and his team do ensures that the pitches at Merchants are up with the very best in the country. Their efforts lay the foundations for the school’s sporting success and we are incredibly grateful for all they do.

“Dave has become a highly-respected figure among his peers and a much-loved figure for everyone at our school. He will be sorely missed but we wish him well in the next stage of his life and he will always be welcome here at Merchant Taylors’.”

During the October half term we welcomed some of the team from independent Liverpool retailer, Sevenstore to Merchant Taylors’ for the release of the new Adidas Barcelona trainer.

After discovering the history between the school and the founding of FC Barcelona, Sevenstore wanted to visit the school in order to tell the story of the Witty Brothers who are the reason Barcelona wear the famous red and blue ‘blaugrana’ to this very day.

You can read Sevenstores’ editorial below as well as view the video and photos that were shot at the Senior Boys’ school.

Inspired by the archives, adidas fall back into the 80’s, a time when the Barcelona first arrived to reimagine a new perspective on the sneaker. Dressed in a clean white colourway, the leather upper is comprised with off-white suede overlays adorning vibrant hits of royal blue to show off their signature three-stripe branding. Accentuating the clean-cut upper is a midsole mirrored from ‘70s Trimm Trab, but this time is more streamlined and suited for modern life. Finishing off the retro-indulged classic, adidas decoration comes in familiar gold foil detailing to the side and a commemorative City Series MMXX on the inside collar.

To commemorate the City Series arriving in Catalonia, SEVENSTORE follow the origins of Blaugrana – the eye-catching blend of deep red and blue that has adorned the backs of the greatest players to ever play the game. Through boyhood connections on the fields of a suburban Liverpudlian school, to adulthood in Barcelona, the Witty’s brother’s role in the foundation of the Catalonian football club has ingrained an integral piece of Merseyside into the culture of the club forever.

Congratulations to Senior Boys’ pupils Oliver Bigley, Joseph Bigley and Jaiylen Ahearn who were recently chosen to sing alongside Sir Paul McCartney on the remastered version of ‘We All Stand Together’.

The song was originally released in 1984 as part of the children’s movie Rupert and the Frog Song. The animated short saw Rupert head out for a walk in the hills, eventually discovering a large number of frogs and witnessing ‘the frog song’, an event which only occurs once every few hundred years.

To celebrate Rupert the Bear’s 100th birthday the song has been rerecorded and the short remastered in 4k. You can see Oliver, Joseph and Jaiylen singing as part of the LIPA 4-19 Choir in the video below.

Some of our Senior Boys’ staff and Sixth Formers are taking on the Movember challenge this November.

Movember is the leading charity geared towards changing the face of men’s health, and by 2030 aims to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%. Since its inception in 2003, Movember has focused on mental health and suicide prevention as well as prostate and testicular cancer. It has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects across the globe challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.

To help raise money for this fantastic cause some of our Senior Boys’ staff including Mr Jacques, Mr Bonfante, Mr O’Brien, Mr O’Malley and Mr Harkness and a selection of our Sixth Formers will be becoming ‘Mo Bros’ and growing a moustache to raise money throughout November. If you’d like to make a donation you can do so by clicking HERE.

(We’ll be posting the results at the end of the month)