Hough House ‘Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.’ Everything goes in cycles and the same is true of life in Hough House. We begin the term in early September and the arrival of these tired, bewildered and homesick waifs and strays and by October half-term it feels as if they have been here forever and are naturally part of the fabric of this lovely House. And it is a lovely House. I know from the outside it is a large square block of concrete with windows and a flat roof, but inside it is warm, friendly and full of life and it is the boys that make it so. What I love about the House is the fact that there is always something going on and there is a genuine feel of a community about the place. As I write this, I can hear Stephen Chan practising the trumpet, there is a group of boys playing Mahjong, a few of them have just gone into town for dinner and there are four putting on football boots ready to go and have a kick about outside. The boys we have come from far and wide: Armenia, Spain, Portugal, Nigeria, Hong Kong, China, Bosnia, Serbia and the UK and I think the UN could learn a thing or two from this lot about diplomacy, communication and tolerance - because they all get on so well. They look out for and support each other on so many levels. During Prep-time, there is always someone around to help; we have a House full of chemists, mathematicians, linguists, biologists, historians and physicists. The boys will also look out for each other emotionally and always let me know if anyone is in need of TLC. 154
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