The sun was shining for the fabulous Paris Dinner, which took place at the spectacular Cercle de L’Union Interalliée.

Former pupils from Merchant Taylors’ Crosby and Merchant Taylors’ Northwood came together at the event, where they were treated to a champagne reception in the gardens, before dinner in the sumptuous dining room.

Congratulations and thank you to OC Peter Magill for organising the event and to our friends at Northwood for jointly hosting such a special occasion.

Cadets from the Royal Navy section of our CCF paid a visit to HMS Biter.

HMS Biter is one of the 14 Archer Class inshore patrols vessels that form the Coastal Forces Squadron.

The cadets boarded the vessel at Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock and were able to learn more about its duties and operations.

Its routine tasking includes Maritime Security Operations,  supporting multi-national and NATO exercises and support to fleet currency training for ships and submarines at Fleet Operational Sea Training.

Lancashire Thunder captain and wicket-keeper Ellie Threlkeld visited school to deliver a coaching session to our senior girls.

The session began with a focus on catching, where girls were encouraged girls to adopt the correct stance, head and hand positions to maximise their fielding ability.

Ellie, who also plays for Manchester Originals in The Hundred series, then showcased her wicket-keeping skills, conducting drills with our head of cricket coaching Gary Yates, himself a former Lancashire player and coach.

Girls saw first-hand the speed and accuracy required to play professional cricket.

Finally, girls were coached on batting as they watched Ellie explain the nuances of an effective batting style, both at the wicket and in our outdoor practice nets.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our girls to continue to develop their skills and passion for cricket and we thank Ellie for giving up her time to share her knowledge and experience with them.

A collection of electrifying performances from pupils in Years 7 to 13 combined to light up the Shakespeare North Playhouse.

It was an evening of laughter, farce, tension and intrigue as Merchant Taylors’ became the first senior school to perform in front of a full audience at the Prescot theatre, which opened last year.

Pupils performed four abridged versions of well-known Shakespearean plays – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet, each with a contemporary twist.

The evening also featured a series of stunning character soliloquys including Mercutio, Iago, Juliet and Portia.

Well done to all of the cast and crew and a special thank you to Ms Gregson-Burt and Mr Davenport for all of their hard work and creativity in putting the show together.

We were delighted to host our annual CCF Inspection Day, where we welcomed Air Commodore Shaun Harris CBE as our Inspecting Officer for this year.

Our CCF contingent currently has almost 250 officers and cadets and, with a further 100 cadets set to join us at Year 9 in September, we have one of the largest voluntary contingents in the country.

Cadets organised a number of stands for Inspection Day, showcasing the skills of our cadet NCOs and the opportunities on offer with help from the military family.

There were also a range of activities available, including an inflatable obstacle course, flight simulator, team building and drone flying.

Many of our younger pupils in Years 6 to 8 were also able to enjoy the experience prior to the official beginning of Inspection Day, allowing them to get a taste of life in the CCF.

Merchant Taylors’ has recently partnered with the Ashinaga Foundation, an educational charity that supports orphans around the world, to help put its lost property to good use. With a history of more than 55 years, Ashinaga’s support has enabled more than 110,000 orphaned students to gain access to higher education.

You can read more about their work here.

Old Crosbeian, Hector Bagley (2010), works for the charity in Uganda, and he has been instrumental in making the partnership a reality. The school has donated its spare lost property to the children Mr Bagley works with, providing them with much needed items. It’s lovely to see our lost property being put to good use and we are delighted to be able to help the Ashinaga Foundation and the children they support.