The Old Canfordian Society
The membership organisation for all those who have experienced a Canford education — and beyond Canford.
Our history
A century of fellowship
The OCS was founded in 1926, soon after the school itself, and celebrated its centenary on 26th June 2026.
Its purpose was to build on and promote good fellowship amongst OCs, thereby strengthening the connections between OCs, and with the school, for the mutual benefit of both.
- 1926 The Society is founded. For 80 years the OCS kept in touch with OCs, maintaining their contact details and publishing the twice-annual Old Canfordian Magazine. In the early days, sporting activities predominated — matches between Old Canfordians and other schools’ societies, and with the Canford first teams, were regularly held.
- 2004 The OCS initiates the Careers Symposium — today’s Careers Convention.
- 2005 The school opens the Development Office to raise funds for bursaries and improvements. The DO took over direct contact with OCs, began organising reunions and events, and commissioning and publishing the magazine — work for which OCs are very grateful.
- Renewal The OCS took a back seat for a while. A proposal to donate the Society’s accumulated funds to the school for the Martin Marriot Foundation prompted many OCs to debate its future. The result: a reinvigorated society with a strong commitment to take forward its original objectives.
- 2026 At the AGM on 7th February, a new full committee of 15 OCs is elected under the leadership of Cleeves Palmer. In its hundredth year, the OCS marks a new beginning.
Beyond Canford
What the OCS is for
We intend to work closely with the Development Office, who will continue to promote activities for the school community both within school and elsewhere. The OCS will leverage the voluntary efforts of many OCs to augment and contribute to the success of the DO and the school. Through its promotion of strong relationships between OCs and the school, the OCS has a vital role to play in the success of the school and its alumni community — particularly in career development.
By fostering
- Continuing friendships made while at Canford, through life
- Sporting activities, special interest and professional groups
We will deliver
- Careers advice based on our experience
- Support to OCs in their early careers through mentoring
- A source of contacts in business and life
- First contacts and support when working and living overseas
The OCS is your society — we need your input to make it happen.
2026 Committee agenda
A new beginning at one hundred
The new committee puts behind us a period in which the committee had been sparsely manned, during which the school’s Development Office had largely filled the gap. We plan to build an active OCS network, promoting a range of interests:
Keeping in touch
We intend to make it possible for OCs to share their experiences informally and keep in touch with each other, using all the opportunities that modern communication channels and social media offer.
To achieve this, it is important that OCs engage with us by attending events and keeping us, the school, and each other up to date with your activities and achievements. In doing so we will augment and support the Development Office, who will continue to keep in touch with OCs and organise events at the school and elsewhere.
The Careers Convention
Initiated by the OCS in 2004 as the Careers Symposium, the Convention is an area of vital importance where OCs bring their experience in their respective fields to help sixth formers select and embark on their chosen studies and careers. In similar vein, we hope to identify OCs willing to act as mentors to further assist others in their early careers.
2026 OCS Committee
Spanning 66 years of OCs
Elected at the AGM on 7th February 2026, the committee brings together OCs from 1958 to 2024.
Committee members
Read online on Issuu →
The OC magazine
Society, Autumn 2026
Society magazine is published by Canford’s Development Office in the autumn every year. Read your President’s introduction, inside the front cover. The 2026 edition, edited by OC Genevieve Fox C82, includes articles about OC experiences:
- Lauren Corn L23 as First Mate aboard the Clipper yacht Washington DC
- Andrew Canning C76 delivered aid to Ukraine
- Peter Reynolds C63 and his wife Barbie, imprisoned by the Taliban
- Novelist Sir Alan Hollinghurst B74 on how his writing life started at Canford
- Sisters Olivia B12 and Louise L13 Bracken
- The restoration of St Giles House by the 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, OC Nick Ashley-Cooper F97
Society is packed with other snippets of news about OCs around the world, and every year there is a call for contributions from the OC community.
To contribute, get in touch with Genevieve at oceditor@canford.com
Get involved
Get in touch
If you have news or an idea for an article, are overseas and want to meet other OCs, or want to start a regional get-together, sporting or interest group, get in touch:
We are always pleased to receive suggestions for activities or improvements we can make.