THE HOSTRY FESTIVAL, 2022

September 8, 2022

Wednesday 7 September saw the launch of the Hostry Festival 2022. As a proud sponsor of the festival, Norwich School is hosting a number of events including Paint out Artist in Profile in the Crypt and the Kanneh-Mason Classical Gala Concert in the Blake Studio. Read on to find out more about the event and the festival that will run from 21 October to 6 November. 

 

Now in its 11th year, The Hostry Festival, also known as the Autumn Festival of Norfolk, is a not-for-profit, community interest project which has commissioned over 100 unique performances and projects over the past 10 years. 

 

The launch was a packed affair, with a great buzz of excitement as we gathered in the stunning Weston Room for an evening of prosecco, Booja-Booja chocolate truffles and mingling. The festival, needing to raise an extra £10,000 to cover the extra running costs this year, also ran a raffle and traditional fairground games such as tombola. 

 

There were speeches from dignitaries including Canon Peter Doll, Acting Dean of Norwich Cathedral; Caroline Jarrold; The Lord Mayor; Steffan Griffiths and Bishop Graham, all of whom praised the festival’s ongoing success and growth over the last decade. 

 

This year, the festival will run from the 21 October to 6 November and is bigger and better than ever, expanding out beyond the space of the Hostry and further into Norwich and Norfolk more broadly. Many of the events this year will be held in Norwich School buildings around the Close, including the Crypt Gallery and the Blake Studio. 

 

The Hostry Festival will feature some of Norfolk and the UK’s best loved authors and artists as well as drama and music performances. The African Choir of Norfolk, established under the umbrella of the festival, performed at the launch night and wowed the audience with their enthusiasm and beautiful melodies. They describe themselves as “ambassadors for their culture” and sing songs from North, South, East and West Africa. This unique choir will be performing at the festival on Saturday 22 October. The central production of the festival this year is ‘Ring Round the Moon,’ a fairy tale romantic comedy. 

 

To find out more about other events and performances at the festival, download the 2022 brochure here: https://hostryfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/HOSTRY-FESTIVAL-GUIDE-2.8.22-x.pdf 



By Eleanor Lewis March 27, 2026
On Thursday 27 March, we were delighted to welcome 58 pupils and their 5 teachers from Collège Sainte‑Marie in Meaux, France. After spending a week exploring Norfolk, the group arrived at Norwich School, where our pupils were eager to meet them and proudly show them around. Our penpal exchange with Collège Sainte‑Marie has been running for a couple of years now, with Lower 4 pupils regularly writing and receiving letters in French. This visit was particularly special: the French group were Year 8 pupils, and many had the chance to meet their penpals from last year face‑to‑face for the very first time — a real highlight for everyone involved. The afternoon began with the NS U6 French group leading guided tours around the school, giving our visitors a warm and friendly introduction to life at Norwich School. This was followed by a lively treasure hunt in mixed teams of French pupils and NS Upper 4 pupils, all competing for an Easter prize. With clues written in both French and English, teamwork was essential — and it was wonderful to see pupils switching languages, helping one another, and having fun along the way. It was a joyful afternoon filled with laughter, curiosity, and excellent company. We very much hope to welcome pupils from Meaux again in the years to come — and perhaps one day, we’ll have the chance to visit them on their home turf too.
By Eleanor Lewis March 27, 2026
From 8-10 April a new art exhibition will be shown at the Crypt Gallery from We Are Nature. Wednesday 8 April, 11:00 - 16:00 Thursday 9 April 11:00 - 16:00 Friday 10 April 14:00 - 16:00
By Eleanor Lewis March 27, 2026
After half term, the Cross-Country team enjoyed a drizzly afternoon of racing in Ipswich on Saturday 28 February. The course was extremely muddy making for challenging, slippery conditions. But the Junior Boys managed to stay upright and perform well with Jonas Tam finishing 3rd, Jonty Croskell in 4th and Oscar Parker-Wright in 11th. All season the Senior Girls have dominated the front end of the field and again we had 3 of the top six finishers. On this occasion, it was Amelie Ivie who timed her finish best to take 3rd place ahead of Bea Green in 4th and Olivia Allen in 6th. The team was completed by Simran Chawla coming in 12th. With 8 Senior Boys running, the team prize seems sewn up this year and we had 3 of the top 5 finishers. Over the 7.6km route, Ethan Buskell was fastest on the day, coming 2nd, just ahead of Arthur Dannatt in 3rd and Leon Liu 5th. Leo Pitt was 8th, Jeremy Lo 9th and Tom Copley, George Yiasimi and Edward Lott completed the dominating team performance all in the top 14. Next, on Saturday 7 March we saw the final race in the East Anglian League against runners from Gresham’s, Ipswich and RHS. The team travelled to RHS and the conditions were reasonably dry and still on a flat, fast course. Our only competing Junior, Jonas Tam, improved upon last week’s third place to come 2nd this week, while in the Intermediate Boys, Kit Rudling came 4th. In the Senior Boys we had excellent strength in depth, as we have had all season, with eight runners competing. First to finish was Ethan Buskell who came 2nd overall. Jeremy Lo came through the field strongly to take 5th place, capping off another consistent season. Leon Liu, Kort Tsui and Leo Pitt were next over the line, followed shortly by Tom Copley, Edward Lott and George Yiasimi. The Senior Boys, having showed such consistent quality and excellent camaraderie throughout the season, deservedly took home the East Anglian League Team Trophy.  Finally, 5 of our athletes represented the school at the English Schools National Finals in Liverpool — a fantastic experience with some excellent performances across the board. Well done to everyone who has represented the Cross Country team this season.
By Eleanor Lewis March 27, 2026
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By Eleanor Lewis March 27, 2026
U18s This half term saw the U18s compete in both the Norfolk County Cup and the Rosslyn Park 7s. Following a valuable learning experience in the County Cup, the squad travelled to Rosslyn Park on 22nd March to compete in the Vase Competition the following day. The boys delivered their strongest performances of the term, securing impressive victories over Monkton Combe and Newcastle-Under-Lyme School. A narrow defeat to Dartford Grammar School, however, meant they were just short of qualifying for Day 2. Standout performances came from Casper Foden, Tom Ratledge, and Alex Sisson. U15s The U15s took part in the Northampton Saints 7s, hosted at Cambridge Rugby Club. They produced an excellent set of performances in the group stages, recording notable wins against Oundle School and Bedford Modern School. These results saw them progress to the Cup semi-finals, where they were narrowly defeated by a strong Samuel Whitbread Academy side. Overall, the team finished among the top performers in a highly competitive field featuring leading schools from across the Midlands and London. Standout performances were delivered by Ben Lowe and Toby Young. U14s This term has seen significant development from the U14s, who have worked consistently hard to improve both individually and as a team. Rosslyn Park provided a particularly positive experience, with clear progress evident throughout the squad. Sam Trickey and Biden Barton were standout performers. U13s and U12s Both the U13s and U12s competed in the Norfolk County Cups, hosted at Redmayne, and performed exceptionally well. Impressively, both teams went undefeated in their respective competitions. A special mention goes to Ben Guo, who played across both age groups, stepping up to represent the U13s and delivering standout performances against older opposition.
By Eleanor Lewis March 27, 2026
The Rowers have had a busy half term, with racing at Norwich Head, Hammersmith Head, Eastern Region JIRR Trials, Schools Head, GB U19 Spring Assessments and The Scullery Head. All year groups raced at Norwich Head, with wins for the 1st VIII as fastest crew of the day, Boys J14 4x+ and Girls J18 2x. At the Eastern Junior Inter-Regional Trials we had 8 of our 13 crews reach the Final, with the Girls J18 2- and Boys J14 2x achieving 2nd place. The highlight of the winter Head racing is the Schools Head of the River and The Scullery Head. The Boys 1st VIII were 15th Championship crew and the Girls 1st 4x- were 16th Championship crew. The J15 Boys and Girls VIII raced the Tideway for the first time.  At The Scullery Head, the Boys 1st 4x- were a fantastic 4th place, with the 2nd 4x- placing well too. The Girls 2nd Quad were 11th in WJ17 4x-. The J14 Boys and Girls Octos were 15th and 16th respectively- both inside the top half of a strong draw. Our three GB U19 trialists continued their selection campaign at the Spring Assessments, taking part in three days of racing in Pairs and Fours. James Howard and Ellie Thwaites produced strong performances to position themselves well in the rankings, while Nicholas Conway impressed with a 2nd-place finish.
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By Eleanor Lewis March 26, 2026
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