To one of our Alumni
We would like to reach out to Alumnus Mr. Roger Wildman and say a heartfelt and massive thank you.
Mr Wildman has kindly supported the school for many years now, quite frequently making unsolicited donations to various school causes and events and now in the midst of this pandemic he has sent us a wonderful £10,000 donation towards the cost of providing iPads to the pupils to enable them to continue successfully with their remote learning.
We have been sent this lovely story about Roger’s life during and after his time at Rydal School:
Roger Wildman was a pupil at Rydal Penhros School from 1946 – 49. As a talented young musician, he must have excelled in this field, both as a string player and vocalist.
On leaving school at 16 he initially worked in his father’s silk textile factory in Macclesfield. This work failed to satisfy an eager young mind so after completing his National Service, he enrolled at Hull University to study Social Science. After successfully completing his degree he travelled to Austria where he spent two years as a classroom assistant teaching English.
He quickly developed what was to become a lifelong love of Austria and the mountains, to which he would return year after year, soon gaining qualified mountain guide status.
On arriving back in the UK Roger took up a post at a school for children with additional support needs at Rumbling Bridge near Stirling. Once again music was high on his list of priorities, and after qualifying as a violin instructor he headed north again to Shetland.
Over several years he built his own house just outside Lerwick and taught as a string instructor throughout the Islands. On retirement, he was still in robust health and worked part-time for many years at the local hospital. When his health eventually started to fail he moved to the care home in Unst, where he is now.
He would be very happy to know that his donation is helping current pupils in such a direct and practical way.
Executive Principal Mr. John Waszek, added: “We cannot thank Mr. Wildman enough for his donation. It was specifically made for use to purchase iPads for our pupils which is making a remarkable difference to their education by enabling them to work remotely with their teachers online in lessons.
"We understand that Roger was extremely happy when in Rydal School and has never forgotten his time with us and wishes to make other children’s time here as fulfilling as his was. We thank him for this.”
To find out more about how you could make a difference by making a donation to Rydal Penrhos please contact Sarah James via email at SJames@rydalpenrhos.com.
