One Day for Haileybury a success

Tuesday’s photographic celebration of Haileybury was deemed a fantastic success by organisers as pupils, staff and Old Haileyburians around the world amassed photographs depicting a typical day in their lives.

The event will result in the best 350 photographs being published in a coffee table book, to be called "One Day for Haileybury". Proceeds from the book will go to the Attlee Foundation.

Pupils from some boarding houses persuaded their housemistresses and housemasters to allow them out at dawn so they could capture the early morning light around the school grounds, while others waited until later in the day to snap their friends and surroundings. Staff also participated enthusiastically and several entries from Old Haileyburians have already been received via email from as far away as Singapore.

Seven pupils and three staff members spent the afternoon of Tuesday in East London, exploring Spitalfields market, walking down Brick Lane and finally, interacting with children at the Attlee Foundation.

Haileybury’s marketing director, Tana Macpherson-Smith, says the pupils took several photos reflecting the differences between their lives and those of the Foundation’s children.

"We had some cameras sponsored by Kodak which we were able to give the kids and, once we’d explained to them about the photographic project, they had a lot of fun, finishing spool after spool!"

Photographs from the afternoon will be featured in a special section of the book, explaining what the Attlee Foundation is all about and what its aims are.

"There was a real connection between our pupils and those children," says Mrs Macpherson-Smith, "so, apart from actually taking photographs, we feel the day will be remembered for other reasons too."

Judging of the submitted photographs will take place on 10 October and the book will be published early next year. Judges for the competition include local photographer David McDonald, president of the Royal Water Colour Society, Ronald Maddox, and deputy chairman of JWT Education, a subsidiary of advertising agency J Walter Thompson, Martin Bojam.

Entries must be received by 10 October in time for judging at the end of October. Winners will be notified of their success in November.