King Edward VI College Stourbridge welcomed generations of former students, staff, families and friends back to Stourbridge on Saturday 26 September for a remarkable day marking 50 years since King Ed’s became a sixth form college.
The College’s KE50 celebrations brought together the King Ed’s community past and present, from alumni football and a packed afternoon on its historic Lower High Street campus to an extraordinary anniversary concert at Stourbridge Town Hall. King Edward VI College can trace its history back to the fifteenth century, but KE50 marks the 50 years since the institution became a sixth form college in 1976. The anniversary has been an opportunity to celebrate the thousands of students and staff who have shaped King Ed’s during those five decades – and the community which continues to surround it.
Generations return to King Ed’s!
The day began with a KE50 Alumni Football Match, giving former students the chance to pull on their boots again, reconnect with old teammates and celebrate the College’s sporting heritage.
Attention then turned to the College’s historic Lower High Street campus, where hundreds of alumni, former staff, current members, families and friends came together for afternoon of memories, music and reconnection. Visitors explored the College through campus tours, archive and art exhibitions, a local craft market and live entertainment, while two panel discussions brought former and current staff and students together to reflect on what has changed at King Ed’s, and what has endured.
For many, the most important part of the afternoon was simply the opportunity to return: to revisit familiar classrooms and corridors, find old friends and colleagues, and share memories of their time at the College.
One of the day’s landmark moments was the burial of the KE50 Time Capsule, creating a snapshot of King Ed’s in 2026 for future generations. College Principal Holly Bembridge was joined by the Mayor and Mayoress of Dudley, Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles, past and present Chairs of Governors and current and former King Ed’s students – bringing together several generations of the College and its wider community. Among the alumni returning was local artist Stacy Hammond, who studied at King Ed’s from 2010–2012 and has created a new KE50 mural for the College. The permanent artwork celebrates the people, places, history and character of King Ed’s and will remain as one of the lasting legacies of the anniversary year.
A phenomenal finale at Stourbridge Town Hall
The day culminated in an unforgettable KE50 Anniversary Concert at Stourbridge Town Hall – an ambitious performance bringing together current students, former students and musicians whose connection with King Ed’s stretches across generations. Conducted by King Edward VI College Subject Leader for Music Tom Pankhurst, a full orchestra and choir filled the Town Hall with music including Brahms, Strauss, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine. The evening captured the distinctiveness of King Ed’s: former students returning to perform alongside those studying at the College today, united by the same musical tradition and by their connection to the place. The scale and quality of the performance brought the KE50 day to a remarkable close and received an exceptional response from the audience.
Holly Bembridge, Principal of King Edward VI College Stourbridge, said:
“King Ed’s has existed in one form or another for centuries, but this anniversary was about the generations of students and staff who have made the College what it is over the last 50 years. Saturday was everything we hoped it would be, with former students finding one another again, colleagues returning after many years, stories being shared everywhere you looked and different generations of King Ed’s people enjoying the College together. The concert was phenomenal. To see former students returning to perform alongside our current students, with that extraordinary orchestra and choir filling Stourbridge Town Hall, was genuinely moving. The ambition of the programme, the quality of the performance and the sheer number of people who had given their time and talent to make it happen were quite extraordinary. I don’t think we could have imagined a better way to end the day. I am enormously grateful to everyone who performed, volunteered, organised, contributed or came back to be part of KE50. We were also delighted to be joined by the Mayor and Mayoress of Dudley and by our local MP, Cat Eccles, and I’m very grateful to them for taking the time to share such an important day with us. There is a great deal to be proud of in King Ed’s past – but what Saturday demonstrated most powerfully is that this is still a living, thriving community. That gives us every reason to be excited about what comes next.”
