King Henry VIII School Celebrates 50 Years of Co-education with “50 for 50” Exhibition

This September marks a milestone in the history of King Henry VIII School in Warwick Road, as the school and alumni / alumnae community comes together to celebrate 50 years since the school became co-educational. To commemorate this anniversary, the Old Coventrians’ Association, in partnership with the school, is proud to launch a special exhibition: “50 for 50”.

The exhibition showcases the diverse journeys of women who have been educated at King Henry VIII School over the past five decades. Through personal stories of achievement and resilience across careers, families, communities, sport, education and beyond, “50 for 50” highlights both successes and the challenges overcome along the way.

At the heart of the exhibition is a series of portraits representing each decade since co-education was introduced, alongside a digital “scrapbook” of memories, photographs and reflections contributed by former students and staff. This living archive will continue to grow throughout the anniversary year, allowing new voices and experiences to be added as the exhibition evolves.

“This exhibition is as much about giving everyone a voice as it is about celebrating achievements,” said Headmaster Mr Sewell. “We hope that current pupils, alumni and the wider school community will see themselves reflected in these stories and feel inspired by the remarkable journeys of those who came before and after them.”

The exhibition will launch this month and remain on display around the school throughout the anniversary year, with opportunities for former students to contribute their stories at any time.

Event Details:

  • Exhibition Title: 50 for 50
  • Opening Date: 7pm – 9.30pm, Friday 12 September 2025
  • Location: Burgess Hall, King Henry VIII School, Coventry
  • Organised by: The Old Coventrians’ Association and King Henry VIII School

For more information or to contribute to the exhibition, please contact:
Mrs Suzanne Jackson, Marketing Manager
sjackson@csfoundation.org.uk
024 7627 1152

The school is also gearing up for its Autumn Open Morning on Saturday 20 September. The Open Morning is a fun-filled morning with a variety of educational activities for children to take part in. Bookings can be made at:

Bookings

Albany Theatre Community Festival

The Albany Theatre has launched an ambitious project to involve more than 2,000 residents in creative arts activities and performances, culminating in a major community festival this summer.

Engage Inspire Create will be the theatre’s most ambitious community outreach initiative since it completed a £3 million redevelopment in 2024, bringing hundreds of experienced performers and absolute beginners together for a wide range of workshops, taster sessions and showcases to nurture the city’s artistic talents.

Funded by Coventry City Council and the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the initiative aims to give more than 500 people the opportunity to experience different art forms – from theatre, dance and music to puppetry, film, and playwriting – and share their creations with hundreds more in a jam-packed festival weekend on 21 and 22 June – called the First Draft Festival.

The programme has seen Coventry residents of all ages invited to make use of the Albany’s new state-of-the-art performance and rehearsal facilities, including two brand new studio theatres, three flexible-use creative spaces and a refurbished main auditorium – all designed to better serve community groups, artists, and audiences across Coventry and the wider region.

Tickets are available on the website, where there will be the option to book festival workshops.

Kevin Shaw at the Albany Theatre urged people to get involved in adult dance classes, intergenerational theatre and artist development workshops available to book on the website.

“The response from the community has been fantastic but there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved on the day and the buildup through some incredible workshops,” said Kevin.

“This is about making the Albany a place where everyone can feel welcome and creative – whether they’re stepping into a theatre for the first time or developing the next stage of their artistic career.

“The new and improved spaces give us a huge opportunity to open the doors wider than ever before, and the festival in June will be a joyful celebration of everything created along the way by the talented people in and around Coventry.

“We can’t wait to share the results of these sessions at our festival weekend in June and want to thank our incredible community partners for their hard work and enthusiasm in bringing Engage Inspire Create to life.”

Workshops are being held in partnership with a host of community organisations including the Carers Trust, Refugee Action Arts and Arawak Community Trust.

Workshops have also been launched under the Albany’s Young Carers Create programme and Albany Empowers, which aims to supporting disabled artists and amplify underrepresented voices.

The Albany’s professional workshop strand will include masterclasses hosted by professionals in the field for emerging artists, a special playwriting workshop with Coventry-born playwright Alan Pollock (One Night in November), in addition to affordable artist development opportunities such as Studio Hire for a Fiver, helping early-career creatives test ideas and access support in a professional setting.

The theatre is also inviting freelance workshop leaders and facilitators to apply to help deliver the programme, with opportunities for artists across multiple disciplines to engage new audiences and lead creative sessions in the final weeks before the festival.

Saturday tickets can be booked at www.albanytheatre.co.uk/shows/first-draft-festival. Sunday tickets are available at www.albanytheatre.co.uk/shows/first-draft-festival-day-2, with a discount applied for those who add both days to their basket at checkout.

For more information visit www.albanytheatre.co.uk.

Pictured below, ArawaK Community Trust, who will be taking part in Engage Inspire Create at The Albany Theatre.

Spon End Parking Petition

A petition has been raised to Coventry City Council from Spon End residents to “..urgently provide sufficient parking promised to the community and residents as part of the Spon End Road widening scheme that was completed nearly two years ago. “
Unfortunately we were notified of this too late for inclusion in the June issue and the deadline, Tuesday 10 June, is nearly upon us. There are currently 94 signatures online and the paper version has around 100.

ePetition – Community and Residential Parking Provision, Spon End – Coventry City Council

ECHO email issue

Our apologies to anyone trying to contact us by using our published email addresses: newsdesk@echonews.org.ok diary@echonews.org.uk and advertising@echonews.org.ok

There is an issue we are trying to resolve.

In the meantime please use Facebook Messenger to contact us if necessary.

Dementia Group Seeks Volunteers

On page 24 of the February issue we printed an article under the  above headline.

This was looking for volunteers to support the Dementia Activity Days group at All Souls Church Hall, which runs on Wednesdays and Thursdays 10am-3.30pm.

The contact phone number given to us and printed in good faith was incorrect – please contact Charmaine on 07598 782739 (not 07704 164219 as printed).

Demo Against Cuts Affecting People with Learning Disabilities

Spon End based charity Grapevine, which helps people in poverty, disadvantage and isolation, will take around 200 supporters plus public service union Unison reps to a demonstration outside Coventry’s Council House on Thursday 23 January. The event coincides with the second and final council consultation meeting at the same venue which invites local people to express their concerns about the impact of proposed budget cuts on Coventry communities directly to councillors.

The demonstration is a reaction to “reference 25” in the council’s list of tough savings proposals for 2025/26 which will mean about half as much money (45% less) available for voluntary sector services helping people with learning disabilities like Help and Connect by Grapevine, which helps 80 people a year. Help and Connect helps people get out of crisis, make a plan for their lives, solve problems, have more people to turn to with a problem, stay safe, stay healthy, get and keep a job, be less isolated, make friends and have a better life.

The council’s consultation period on these cuts will end on 28 January with the closure of its online public survey. More information is available on the link: https://letstalk.coventry.gov.uk/budget-consultation-2025-26

A petition against these cuts is live until 7 March: https://edemocracy.coventry.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=565&TPID=59415270

Memorial Park car park petition

The council is reconsidering its plan, dropped a year ago, to start charging for parking at Memorial Park for all parking.

The current three hours free parking at the park could be lost and motorists would be charged £1 for up to one hour, £3 for 1-2 hours and £3.50 for two to four hours.

So far 750 people have signed a petition against this.

Go to:

Coventry City Council, www.coventry.gov.uk

Search for ‘Petitions’,

Select ‘Current e-Petitions’.

The wording is as follows:

Cancel proposed increased car parking charges at the War Memorial Park.

We the undersigned petition the Council to cancel the proposed increased car parking charges at the War Memorial Park.

Increasing the parking charges at War Memorial Park should be cancelled because it disproportionately affects the most vulnerable members of the community, including families with children and individuals who rely on the park for exercise and well-being. Higher fees will discourage people from visiting the park, leading to reduced physical activity and social interaction, which are crucial for a healthy community. Additionally, the increased charges will cause displacement parking, burdening local residents with congestion and inconvenience. Cancelling the proposed charges will help maintain the park’s accessibility and ensure that it remains a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone.

This ePetition runs from 02/12/2024 to 28/01/2025.

Bus Route 188 – the Final Version?

This latest post on the the TfWM website from Friday 3 January is hopefully definitive.

Please note that the route into Coventry city centre is confirmed as via Hearsall Common and Spon End both ways and not via Earlsdon Street and Albany Road.

In the City centre, the route will be via St John’s Church and Corporation Street both ways then arriving/departing from Stand HS1 in Hales Street (not Pool Meadow) with a maximum “layover” time of 6 minutes.

The route between Balsall Common and Tile Hill south will be the same as service 87, not going via Berkswell.


TFWM Route 188