One of the more memorable events which took place as part of the MGS 'Charities Fortnight' of 2001, was that of the 'sponsored job-exchange' between the High Master of the time, Martin Stephen and porter William 'Billy' Neild, with whom he gamely swapped places for the day in the name of charity, dressing-down somewhat, taking up the broom, serving lunch in the refectory and - to complete the H.M.'s ignominy - delivering a cup of tea to a begowned Billy at his newly acquired office desk (see picture above).
The concept of 'Porter for a Day' was initiated by the form 5R, who were apparently instrumental in persuading Martin Stephen to play 'Pauper' to Billy Neild's 'Prince'. 5R were just one of many forms who came up with inventive and entertaining ways of raising money for a number of charities, including the NSPCC, the Busoga Trust of Uganda, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the National Asthma Campaign. Other notable events during this busy Charities Fortnight involved spoofs of popular TV programmes including Stars in Their Eyes and Blind Date, a Westlife tribute band, and two pupils - Kyle Bentwood and Ben Levy - who cycled 22 miles in to school.
M.S. serving lunch to the new H.M.
Porter Billy Neild enjoys his moment of glory as M.S. looks on wistfully
What it was all for: the £2000 cheque raised by the 'Porter for a Day' initiative
Aside from the obvious fun which was clearly had by all during the 'Porter for a Day' event, by raising the profile of porter Billy Neild, the event also managed to bring an increased awareness and appreciation of the important work carried out by the indispensable - although often 'invisible' - non-teaching staff, such as porters, kitchen staff and cleaners, without whom the school would probably cease to function. This appreciation was recently shown following the sad death last year of former Head Porter Harry Bardsley, when the whole school lined Old Hall Lane to pay their respects during his funeral cortege (see also earlier post The School Porters).
Otto Smart
Apart from the amount raised for charity, this does indeed show the vitally important part the non-teaching staff plays in the efficient running of the school. The praises of some are sung (e.g. former head-porter Harry Bardsley and in my day Wilf Robb) but the contribution of the many can be so easily forgotten.