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Annual award ceremony recognises Old Millfieldians' achievements
Four ex-Millfield pupils returned to the school last week as they were recognised with the OM of the Year Award.
Former Orange chief executive Tom Alexander, Olympic gold-medallist Duncan Goodhew, Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley and Sun journalist Sharon Hendry were all given the award to mark their achievements since they left school.
Alexander was at the helm as mobile phone company Orange merged with T-Mobile, a merger that created the leading mobile operator in the country.
After receiving the award, he said: "What a lovely award to win. It really means a lot to me. When I was a young boy at Millfield I never thought I'd be stood back here in front of everybody receiving this award - it's absolutely fabulous.
"I'd like to thank my mum and dad for paying the school fees - they were well worth it."
Gilley founded the non-profit film project Peace One Day in 1999 to document his own efforts to establish the first ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence with a fixed date.
It was established two years later to coincide with the UN International Day of Peace on 21st September.
He said: "My fondest memory of Millfield is working with my pottery teacher Mr Bundle. He was an incredible man and we did some great work together. He was very inspiring.
"I also remember the sport and the friends I made here. It was a very special time."
Goodhew won a swimming gold medal in the 100m breaststroke at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and a bronze in the 4x100m medley.
He was appointed an MBE in 1981 and, as part of his charity work, he is the chairman of the Millfield Foundation, which was set-up to raise money for scholarships and bursaries.
He said: "There's not a day that goes past in which my life hasn't been enriched, changed and built by what happened in this fine school.
"All of you who do what you do, keep it up, it's fantastic. Thank you very much for this stunning award."
Sharon Hendry is the Senior Features Writer at The Sun and has also written a book which tells the story of a child being sold into appalling slavery in Nepal and India.
She said: "Some of my happiest memories of being at Millfield are the English department.
"I came here and realised I was being exposed to some of the most fantastic teaching ever."
Headmaster Craig Considine concluded the ceremony by acknowledging the achievements of the winners.
Taken back by the obvious emotion of the day, he said: "Millfield is a place to be a little unconventional, a place to invent oneself and a place where lessons are learnt that inspire people to achieve great things when they move on.
"In making their way in the world, Tom, Jeremy, Duncan and Sharon all embody characteristics we all aspire to.
"We congratulate them and thank them for sharing a small part of their lives with us today. On behalf of the Millfield community we wish them well for their continued success."
