A DORSET school is preparing to hold a final reunion for students this year.

The Swanage Grammar School Association will be holding a reunion event on Saturday May 21 for past pupils of Swanage Grammar School, with some pupils travelling from the USA and Switzerland.

The reunion will be the last of a series of reunions hosted by the school, which have been regularly held since the school’s closure in 1974.

The school is set to be abolished after an application for 90 new homes was lodged, making the 2022 reunion a particularly special one.

Shelagh Ball, a committee member of the Swanage Grammar School Association, said: “Our last reunion was in 2019. We’ve had to delay our final one for the last couple of years because of Covid.”

Dorset Echo:

The final reunion will be an opportunity for past pupils to share memories of the grammar school.

Shelagh said: “People like to catch up with each other. They can reminisce.

“People are scattered far and wide from all over the world. We have people coming from Switzerland and another from America. It gives them a chance to catch up with their year group.

“We find people are really fond of the time they had at the school.”

Shelagh, who attended a past reunion herself, added: “There was nobody at the reunion from my year, but I enjoyed speaking with past pupils so much I was hooked and volunteered my services as a committee member at that reunion.”

The final reunion will be held at The Swanage School and will run from 10am to 5pm.

There will be a two-course lunch, a commemoration service, celebration cake, tea, a raffle and a chance for photos.

Dorset Echo:

Shelagh said: “The reunions are most definitely not about comparing achievements or status in life. We remember our time there and the people with whom we shared our years.

“Please make our final get together special with your presence.“

Past pupils are asked to confirm their attendance ahead of the reunion.

Visit the Swanage Grammar School Association website for more information.