2022 is proving to be a big year. It's 40 years since leaving Headington - how did that happen?! It's also the year I've finished a 35-year career in the civil service, the last 26 years of which has been working for Wilton Park (part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) based in West Sussex. As I finished this part of my career it was a huge honour to be awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours (Diplomatic List).

Working for Wilton Park has been an amazing experience and a huge privilege, convening and chairing dialogues to respond to many of the world’s challenges. I’ve met and worked with thousands of extraordinary people from around the world, and hosted many meetings abroad as well as at home. I’ve spent the past two years predominantly focusing on climate change as the UK prepared to host COP26. It was fascinating chairing and hosting many virtual sessions with experts and others to raise awareness, and build consensus and coalitions around climate actions. Being at part of COP26 itself and hosting some side sessions was the culmination of a busy year.

I’m now moving back to South Oxfordshire, and home to my roots, literally, to take on the reins of managing our family farm. Lots to learn, and a big change for me, at a time of great change in agriculture – balancing food production with stewarding our natural environment. I plan to be at the June Headingtonian gathering and do hope to see many of our cohort there.

I continue with New Zealand Department of Corrections as a Probation Officer with my current focus being integration and reintegration of high needs and high risk persons into the community: a combined approach of manaaki and whanau engagement being key to defined and proven success.

My involvement with horses continues and music is always present. I miss my family, as do many of us separated during this last two years, however, I am sure we have all grown far more accustomed to connecting through the capability of video calling. My sons are nearing 30 and 28 with no slowing down of the inspiration they are to me.

A small Latimer House (early 1990s) reunion was held in London when Sarah Ballard, Bronwen Ballard, Kate Kolaczinski (née Graham), Sarah Moore and Delilah Jeary (née Seale) met up on a windy South Bank in February. Sadly Covid and Storm Eunice kept Marianne Wade and Sally Hall (née Priest) away on the day, and Kate Ribiero dos Santos (née Collins) and Ruth Lewis (née Phillips) sent their apologies, but much fun was had and more meet ups are planned.

Image: Delilah Jeary with Sarah Ballard, Bronwen Ballard, Kate Kolaczinski (née Graham) and Sarah Moore

I run Y.O.U underwear, an Oxford-based sustainable fashion brand that I founded in 2017. During a trip to Uganda in 2016, I became aware of the many problems faced by women and girls who don’t have access to underwear, including missing up to 25% of their education each year. We take underwear for granted - it's literally the first thing you put on in the morning - but not having it can have a huge impact, particularly on girls' education.

When subsequently looking into how to provide and manufacture underwear, I discovered that conventional cotton is the world's most polluting crop and that the fashion industry more broadly is incredibly harmful, particularly for the mostly female workforce. We therefore pledged to only use Fairtrade and GOTS certified organic cotton, to manufacture ethically and to donate two pairs of underwear to people who don't have it for every pair we sell.

I’m really excited to announce that Y.O.U Underwear has just become a B Corp. We’re now the Top Scoring B Corp in the UK AND the Top Scoring Fashion Brand in the World! Becoming a B Corp is a huge milestone for us and really helps strengthen our mission to show that business – and fashion – can be a force for good. I hope that having a fashion business as the highest scoring B Corp in the UK will demonstrate what can be achieved and hopefully encourage some of the fast fashion brands to focus a bit more on sustainability too. Since starting the business in 2017, we’ve donated over 18,000 pairs of underwear to vulnerable women and girls across Africa and the UK and I'm proud that we've been able to make such a difference to other people.

We've also just opened a shop in Oxford's famous Covered Market, so it's great to be able to meet customers and tell our story in person.

Image: Sarah Jordan outside her pop up shop in the Covered Market in Oxford

In September 2021 I started a PhD in Robotics and Autonomous Systems with the University of Bristol and the University of West England. The PhD is known as the FARSCOPE programme and has the format of a taught first year and dissertation, followed by three years of independent studies. It's great to be back in a university setting, and I hope to report back once I’ve completed my dissertation and selected my PhD topic.

The great thing about living in London is that so many school friends live here too! We love meeting up for a wholesome activity or two - most recently rock climbing and going for Thai food.

Image: from left to right, Olivia Batchelor, Lottie Mattocks (2012, class of 2014) and Izzy Masters (2012, class of 2014)

In December 2021 I stopped working as an Audiologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital and started a position as Head of Service for Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire with Audiological Science Ltd. With this new role I will be setting up new clinics across both counties which is very exciting and will most likely be challenging too. Another area that was always an interest of mine was hearing therapy, which I was able to perform during my time at the JR hospital. However, recently I have completed my training to provide Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for those with Tinnitus, Misophonia and Hyperacusis, which has been extremely rewarding. In the future I hope to perform this type of hearing therapy for patients across the county as many people unfortunately suffer from these conditions with little support or knowledge about how to manage it. So this new year has a lot to offer and I can’t wait to see how it goes!

The last three years have gone so quickly. It feels like only a few months ago that I left Headington, and yet I find myself thinking about plans post-Durham. That said, it has been the most fantastic three years. I was lucky enough to have found a fantastic group of friends by the time we went into lockdown so doing second year online wasn’t too painful, though I did miss in-person choir and orchestra rehearsals. Third year has really made up for this, and I am currently President of the Choral Society, the University’s foremost choir of 120 singers. We sing regularly in Durham Cathedral and have been invited to Sage Gateshead to sing in numerous concerts next year which is a fantastic opportunity for the choir.

My Music degree has also been incredibly enjoyable. I’ve chosen to focus on musical aesthetics and analysis, and my dissertation deals with issues of form and narrative in Mahler’s First Symphony. Next year, I hope to continue studying music at Yale, where I have been offered a place on a Master’s course in Music Theory. I’m hugely looking forward to what this next chapter of life might bring but, for now, I will savour my last few months up North in beautiful Durham.