Reunions are now more popular than ever and remain a great way to hook up with old friends and rekindle school memories. If you are curious about what your fellow alumni are doing, then we are here to help – in many ways. If you need any further information or would like our assistance with locating fellow alumni please contact the Association Office.
Organising a Reunion
PLEASE NOTE:
If you are planning to seek a Subsidy towards the cost of a Reunion, please do read The Guidelines before you apply: OP Reunions Subsidy Guidelines
Who to invite
Decide on the group that you would like to invite – former classmates, members of a sports club or society or a mixture of all of these and more.
There are no hard and fast rules and you can make the criteria as wide or as narrow as you choose. Bear in mind that you should also consider if the invitation is open to friends, partners and children.
Style of reunion
You will need to consider the timing for the reunion; if you are inviting people from overseas the date should be set early (perhaps up to a year in advance) to allow people to arrange holidays around the reunion.
You should have an idea of a budget for the event and remember to consider all costs such as transport, car parking and accommodation and so on. Moreover, it is useful to find out how much people are prepared to pay before any final arrangements are made.
In certain circumstances a Subsidy towards the cost may be available from The Association – If you wish to submit an application to apply for a possible subsidy for a reunion then please see: OP Reunions Subsidy Guidelines
Another factor to consider is the format of the reunion; for example an informal meal and a chat in a pub, a tour of ‘old haunts’, both in Ealing and throughout West London, or a weekend full of activities – the only limitations are the budget and your imagination…
Making contact
Let us know who you would like to contact and – with the help from the OPA Office we can forward invitations, letters or emails to your former classmates on your behalf. Naturally, replies can be sent directly to the organiser, but the Association will be more than happy to offer administration support to help you coordinate your event.
It is useful to send out an initial letter or email to the group to gauge the level of interest for the reunion and what preferences there are towards location and the type of event. Also, an old photo from your school days enclosed with this letter may prompt fond memories to be relived and encourage attendance.
When you have made the final arrangements a second communication should be sent out informing the group of the date, location and so on – again, we will undertake this mailing for you if you wish. And remember to include an RSVP date to ensure that everyone replies in sufficient time.
Follow up
To encourage and inspire other reunions we would be delighted if you would write a brief summary about the reunion to be published on the website. Photos would also be very welcome.