Any Old Bedfordian can organise an event. Perhaps you would like to hold a reunion for your old classmates or your house, or all those who share an interest such as theatre.

Getting Started

We find that events led from the front by OBs are normally very successful, but do remember to inform us as soon as possible so that we can help.

If you would like to speak to the OB Club about an event you are thinking of organising, you can contact us at obclub@bedfordschool.org.uk, 01234 359201 or at Bedford School, de Parys Avenue, Bedford MK40 2TU.

We’ve gathered together some of the questions below you will need to think about to plan a successful reunion.

Logistics

What sort of event would you like to hold and where? Event ideas are below. Try to find somewhere that has good transport links, accessibility and parking.

Reunions can be held at the school – including tours of the school – but we need plenty of notice. You may need to be flexible on that date and format, but do get in touch to talk through your ideas.

OBs are encouraged to arrange reunions that take place across the UK and internationally. Why not contact the DVP in that area in case they may be able to assist you or are planning something similar.

Choose a date which doesn’t conflict with a national holiday or religious date – and contact us to ensure we don’t clash with other OB events.

Plan well in advance – some of your group may live abroad and, given enough notice, may like to travel to attend. We will also have longer to publicise your event through our annual publications, and plan if it’s on the school site. We recommend at least six months’ notice.

Attendees

Who will you invite – your year group, those from a club you were part of, those in your house?

Sometimes, members of Bedford School staff are able to join OB reunions. Let us know in advance and we will ask!Would you like to include partners or children?

Would you like to include partners or children?How will you contact the alumni? You can log in to Connect if you would like to find OB contact details – you can search by name, year, house, city and country of residence. If you are inviting a large group of people or those who cannot be categorised in those ways (e.g. those who were in the 1977 1st XV), get in touch with us. Some details we can give you if you complete a Data Protection

How will you contact the alumni? You can log in to Connect if you would like to find OB contact details – you can search by name, year, house, city and country of residence. If you are inviting a large group of people or those who cannot be categorised in those ways (e.g. those who were in the 1977 1st XV), get in touch with us. Some details we can give you if you complete a Data Protection Agreement, or we can contact alumni on your behalf.

Funding

How is the event funded? Generally, you will need to charge a ‘ticket price’ cover all costs, particularly in relation to entrance fees or meal costs. Consider whether you will collect money in advance (it will help you know how many people will turn up!).

The OB Club cannot guarantee that we can financially support your reunion, but we can provide an online booking facility so you do not have to deal with cheques and bank transfers if you prefer. Please speak to us to discuss the options.

Help from the OB Club

If you would like to hold your event at the school, please let us know at the earliest opportunity. We need to ensure that it is possible to do so on your chosen date, and look at catering, duty managers etc. before firm arrangements or invitations are made.

We are happy to have a chat with you about how to arrange an event.We can give you contact details of the specific group that you would like to

We can give you contact details of the specific group that you would like to invite so that you can invite them via email or post. You will need to sign a Data Protection Declaration.

We will assist you with advertising your event in our monthly Events email, which goes out to all OBs that we have on email, and our Calendar of Events online. We will also share it through our social media channels.

Event Ideas

Educational – lectures, seminars, behind-the-scenes tours.

Cultural – visit museums or galleries, concerts or theatre performances, tours of historic buildings. 

Sporting – attending a local sporting event.

Social – reunion lunches or dinners, wine/beer tastings, book clubs, informal gatherings.

Coincide with a local event, such as meeting at a food festival, or with an event that we are already holding, such as getting your year-group to come along to our annual OB At Home event in summer.

Afterwards

We would love to see your photos and get a short write-up of your event to include in our News email, OB Review publication or on the website. Email them to us or post them on our Facebook page!

Whilst sending invitations, if you find that the postal address or email address of an OB is incorrect or has changed, please let us know so that we can update our records. We work very hard to keep these up-to-date and your assistance is invaluable!