Remembering senior school days in Ilkeston and surrounding areas

After the success of Roger Mitchell’s talk on ‘The History of Ilkeston Grammar School’ at Ilkeston Library in Ilkeston Community Theatre and Festival (ICTAF) week in 2025, it soon became obvious that a lot of people were interested in the old photographs, stories and history of their own school. Roger, as always, gave an extremely interesting talk.

In 2026 therefore, ICTAF have decided to organise a series of events to enable people to learn about the history and reminisce and meet with others from their school, whichever senior school they attended in Ilkeston and surrounding areas. These will all take place in our summer festival week from 10th – 15th August 2026, along with our other regular events.

Each school event will start with a talk on the school, and staff, and any other relevant content in the talk given by the organiser/s who will be (an) ex-member/s of staff or student from the school concerned.

More specific information about each organiser and individual talk will follow shortly.

Why not search out those old photographs and see many more brought in by ex-staff and pupils and learn a little more about the history of the school? If you have an old photograph from your time at the school,

Ilkeston Community Theatre and Festival would like to see it. Please send a scan or copy of it to their email as soon as possible (IlkestonCommTheatreandFestival @ gmail.com ), so it can be included on the day of the event for your old school. There will also be an exhibition board present in the room of each talk containing photographs and articles about each school from the Ilkeston Library archives.

Each of the following events will hopefully be held during our festival week at Ilkeston Library:

• Monday 10th August – 11am – Ilkeston Grammar School – pupils from any year before 1977, when the school was still Ilkeston Grammar School, are welcome.
• Tuesday 11th August am – Hallcroft School – pupils from any year before 1977, before it became Cantelupe School, are welcome.
• Wednesday 12th August am – Cavendish Girls’ School – pupils from any year before 1977, before it became Cantelupe School, are welcome.
• Friday 14th August am – Gladstone Boys’ School – pupils from any year before 1977, before it became Cantelupe School, are welcome.

There will also hopefully be events in Cotmanhay, for Bennerley School former staff and pupils, and Kirk Hallam, for St. John Houghton School and Kirk Hallam Comprehensive from any year before 1977 if former staff/ students are willing to organise.

If you want to organise the Cavendish, Gladstone, Bennerley, St. John Houghton or Kirk Hallam Comprehensive events, or have suggestions as to who may be able to do so, please send an email to IlkestonCommTheatreandFestival @ gmail.com for assistance with venue arrangements, contacts etc.

It is hoped that Michael House School will be organising their event on the morning of Friday 14th August in Ilkeston (venue to be confirmed).

These are just some of the many activities that will be popping up during the festival week, Monday 10th August – Saturday 15th August, so keep an eye out after Easter, on their website, for more fun and interesting activities for the local community.