Sam Banks Memorial Pavilion
A new Pavilion – dedicated to the memory of Sam will not only be available for the Bedales community but also the local community for all manner of uses, special occasions and events. Donations for the Sam Banks Memorial Pavilion has been split between the pavilion and The Sam Banks Memorial Fund.
Roofing Weekend
During a chilly but sunny weekend in February Old Bedalians Gabriel Langlands and John Russell, who have been instrumental in designing and constructing the pavilion, enjoyed sharing the tasks of the exterior construction with friends and members of the school. The volunteer team learned the satisfying skills of ‘shingling’; adding cedar wood tiles to the timber frame roof.
The highlight of the weekend was the ‘topping out’ ceremony, an ancient Scandinavian ritual to appease the spirits of the forest, which involves mounting an evergreen branch on the structure, in this case the roof gable, to symbolize growth and bring good luck to the building. A toast was raised with everyone sitting on the ridge as the sun set over the Downs.
Memorial Bench
Close friends of Sam have made a beautiful memorial oak bench which is to be positioned by the pavilion. The skilled carpenters were Josh Plough and Ezra Winter with valuable input from George Sinclair. A plaque was engraved by Francis Nicholson.
Sam Banks Memorial Fund 