I was delighted to hear a reunion for former students, teachers and their guests who were at either Varndean Boys or Varndean Girls Grammar Schools in the Seventies is being held at Varndean College, Brighton on July 15. Full details may be found on the OVA website at www.oldvarndeanians.org.uk.

I will travel down from Berkshire to join in and hope some of my former school friends and teachers from 5A, in 1971, will be there.

Some names I recall: Sally Ann Reeve, daughter of Douglas Reeve, organist at The Dome for many years; Angela Hire, whose father managed Deep Purple; Janice Fairbrace; and Miss Cholerton, our geography teacher, who also taught me to ice skate.

There was Miss Walker, art teacher, who became Mrs Corbyn; Miss Holberton; Miss Gaffney, who taught mathematics; and Mrs Williams, who taught English, and once hurled a blackboard rubber at me for daydreaming.

I would dearly love to meet the headmistress, Miss RA Clarke, who was very understanding when my mother, Lucy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1967.

I struggled through my O-Levels and left Varndean Girls in the summer of 1971. My mother died in 1972. I am finally keeping my promise to Miss Clarke and will be starting a BSc degree course next year. Better late than never.

-Susan Bicknell (nee Blandford), Reading, Berkshire