End of Term Report 2009 “If we open up a quarrel between the past and the present, then we will find that we have lost the future.” “What you do not put in you can not take out.”

Over this past year working on our Schooldays website I have been constantly reminded one way or another of these two Quotations made by two of my mentors:

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1874 – 1965

& Edward Craig Cooper 1912- 2003.

(Most of you reading this will know one of these quotes very well)

Regularly receiving unexpected e-mails from former pupils of KHS who have stumbled upon our website via a Google, or similar search, then sending snippets of news, or requests to trace family history, even to trace old friends made to:

The Historian@kinghamhillschooldays

this has made me realise just how valuable and wide an audience we now have.

Remember, we only launched this site in June 2007. So in just thirty months we have received over 90,000 visitors. Does it matter if this is in fact many of the same visitors regularly returning? No! What it does tell me is that we do have a large following. I'm certain that this is not only because we are on the WWW - freely and instantly accessible from anywhere - but also because we have something special to offer our audience.

But - oh yes! there's always a "but" creeping in - please remember:

“What you do not put in you can not take out”.

Not only does this refer to your articles, photos, news of events, and sadly even obituaries, that have made this site so attractive to our visitors, but also to the importance of funding your site's publication in these web pages.

Readers can now sponsor articles if they wish to contribute. Or why not take a look at our Merchandise and Donations page? Or you could advertise your business, and possibly make contact with old school friends visiting our site. You can do this at very competative rates for former pupils of £20 per year: Take a look at our Old School Tie page if you are interested.

But what of the other quotation?

“If we open up a quarrel between the past and the present,
then we find that we will have lost the future.”

So we must move with the times, and protect our heritage and history by recording this on our website for all to see and appreciate.

Thank you for all of your support this year. We hope this will continue next year.

On behalf of the schooldays team I wish you well for Christmas and the New Year.

Thank you!

Yours sincerely

John D. Timmins

Managing Editor and The Historian of Kingham Hill Schooldays.