As part of Rugby School’s celebration of 50 years of girls and co-education, we have spoken with
female Rugbeians, staff and current students about what it means to be a part of the School’s
story.

To close our anniversary series, we spoke to Lucinda Holmes (Cindy Little D - 78-80) whose
connection with Rugby spans various iterations: a former student, parent of four Rugbeians,
Governor, Trustee of the Arnold Foundation and - the first woman to hold the post - Chair of
Governors (2014 - 20). As it happens, her father-in-law was an Rugbeian too.

Cindy joined the LXX from an all-girls day school, as one of the first cohort of girls to enter the
new Dean House - previously the School Sanatorium! In those early days, the ratio of girls to boys
was about 1:31 - quite a contrast to today’s fully co-educational school.

‘It was a total change to what I had been used to, but I look back on those two years as a time of extraordinary opportunity
- it wasn’t always easy but it offered me the most fantastic rounded education and opened my
eyes to much wider choices. Overall, it was a very happy time and a successful decision.’

‘I loved acting and singing, and with so few girls there were plenty of openings for both. With
Nigel Brown the Head of Drama and Robin Alden the wonderful Head of English, the Macready
Theatre became my second home. I remember that you could choose to learn literally any musical
instrument - so I tried both the flute and the sax (neither very successfully!) and also loved singing
in the Chapel choir.’

‘There weren’t enough of us, either in number or inclination, to play team sports but they did bring
in a dance teacher to keep us moving…! We did always turn out to watch the XV though and I
joined the sailing club too, but probably spent more time in Draycote Water than on it - some of
the boys responsible for tipping me in are still very good friends!’

After leaving Rugby, Cindy spent her gap year studying History of Art at the École du Louvre
whilst also working at The International Herald Tribune in Paris. She then came back to read
History at Durham University.

After university, Cindy entered the ‘Mad Men’ world of advertising, at that time enjoying its heyday
in the financial markets and international business. ‘I started as a graduate trainee bag-carrier and
a number of job moves and years later, became Managing Director of an international advertising
and communications group focusing on acquisitions and mergers and running businesses here
and internationally. I also met my husband, a writer and Creative Director in the business. It was a
really fun and busy time.’

‘Did Rugby prepare me for my professional life? I think maybe it prepared me for going into what
was then a very male dominated business, and Rugby perhaps also strengthened my “can do”
attitude to life. When I had our first baby, there was no corporate Maternity Policy - so I invented
my own!’

With four children and a professionally busy husband, Cindy changed her own professional focus
from a full-time executive role into a portfolio of advisory and non-executive directorships and
trustee positions, and the family moved to Oxfordshire especially so that the children could go, as
day children, to The Dragon School, Oxford.

‘It was the Head of the Dragon who recommended Rugby for our daughter who had previously
declared that having been in the “brilliant” co-ed Dragon she “couldn’t possibly go to a single sex
day school!” We looked at six co-ed boarding schools within match or performance watching
distance of home and concluded that Rugby definitely came out top for Chloe (B 04-09). For
us, the unpretentiousness of Rugby and Rugbeians was important and we also liked the individual
personalities of the single sex boarding houses. When it was Will’s (K 06 - 11) turn, we looked
at other schools again and then he asked us why, if it was good enough for Chloe, it wasn’t good
enough for him. So he went too! With Henry (SH 09 - 14) and Imogen (Tu 11 - 16) the
decisions seemed obvious! Four children, four different Houses and between us, five very
different but happy and successful school experiences, and collectively lots of fantastic memories
and Rugbeian friendships.’

Cindy joined the Governing Body at the Dragon School in 2004 and was invited to join the
Governing Body for Rugby School in 2006 by the then Chair, Michael Fowle. ‘Michael was a
fantastic Chair - the School was so lucky to have him. Passionate about Rugby, not only did he
update and strengthen the governance but he also worked hard with Patrick Derham to set up the
Arnold Foundation which, for me, is one of the defining strengths of the School. Robert Swannell,
Michael’s successor, took over as Chair, and also with Patrick Derham masterminded the
inception of Springboard (now RNCSF), a children’s charity creating life-changing educational
opportunities for children from communities where opportunities are scarce.

‘These were hard shoes to fill!’

She speaks with pride about Rugby’s development under her tenure. Together with Peter Green
(Head Master 14 - 24), the Governing Body set about investing in the estate and renewing the Houses;
making international partnerships and building the first Schools in Thailand and Japan; merging
with our first prep school, Bilton Grange; introducing the IB to the curriculum and greatly
increasing the numbers of scholarships and means tested bursaries. ‘We also worked very hard to
find a pragmatic but compassionate way of keeping the School functioning effectively over the
Pandemic.’ The School also celebrated its 450th birthday with a year of events and celebrations
and brought back huge numbers of Rugbeians to celebrate their alma mater.

‘It was a very busy and productive six years and I’d say that being Chair of such a wonderful
institution and working alongside such an amazing team of professionals was a tremendous
honour and a privilege too.’

So, what would Cindy say to current Rugbeian students? ‘I’d say, look around, have a go, pick up
all the opportunities you can and capture those memories - you’re a lifelong member of a
wonderful community and one day you’ll look back on those Rugbeian days with such pride. I do.’