This year, over 1000 pupils and members of staff in the Senior School made the 4-mile walk from the College up unto the Downs on Friday 15 September. It was a lovely late summer afternoon, and a fitting way to finish the first full fortnight of the academic year. Arriving at the top – some having enjoyed the walk up more than others – pupils sat down in their houses and enjoyed the views across the Downs to the sea, and back to Hurst in the other direction.
Following a long-standing Woodard tradition, the Eucharist was celebrated, and pupils and staff collectively joined in the singing of two favourite Hurst hymns: “Be thou my vision” and “Christ Triumphant”. This year’s sermon was preached by Lloyd Dannatt, Deputy Head of College, who spoke about the Good Samaritan and the importance of community.
“ Both the walk and the service itself were an opportunity for pupils and staff to experience what it means to belong to the Hurst community, and to enjoy some time together enabling informal conversations and catch-ups. It remains one of the traditions that make Hurst what it is, and gives pupils and staff a sense of belonging and connectedness. ” Janneke Blockland, Chaplain
