Procession honours Blue Coat founders

HONOUR . . . Megan Ames and Mitchell Scott, last year's head boy and head girl lay a wreath

STUDENTS and teachers from Blue Coat School turned out in force yesterday to celebrate the school's annual founder's day event.

The procession, accompanied by local dignitaries including representatives from Greater Manchester Police, wound its way down Egerton Street, with the school standard at its head and the school band in full swing.

It converged at Oldham war memorial, where floral wreaths in the school's colours were laid by last year's head boy and head girl Megan Ames and Mitchell Scott.

Year 11 student Adam Neild performed an emotional rendition of "The Last Post", before a service was held at Oldham Parish Church.

The pupils were given the afternoon off, and school leaders and their guests enjoyed a celebratory lunch.

School founder and hat manufacturer Thomas Henshaw died in 1810, leaving £40,000 for the endowment of the Blue Coat School.

The foundation stone was laid in 1829 and the school was opened in 1834 as a boys' boarding school, before evolving into the mixed gender academy it is now.