Old Scardeburgians' Association

Old Scardeburgians' Association The alumni association for past students and staff of Scarborough College.

Wicstun Distillery Awarded 2 Stars by the Great Taste Awards for their Toffee Vodka Wicstun Distillery are proud to anno...
06/08/2026

Wicstun Distillery Awarded 2 Stars by the Great Taste Awards for their Toffee Vodka

Wicstun Distillery are proud to announce they have been awarded 2 stars by the great Taste awards for their Toffee Vodka Liqueur.

The Great Taste Awards are the world's largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme, run annually by the Guild of Fine Food. Often called the "Oscars of the food world," the program evaluates artisan and independent products based strictly on flavour, texture, and aroma through blind taste testing.

Market Weighton based Wicstun Distillery, has been trading for 5 years and makes a wide range of Gin, Rums, Vodka and Liqueurs. They launched their liqueur range a few years ago in response to customer looking for a sweet lower alcohol drink. The range consists of Toffee, Rhubarb and Raspberry Vodka Liqueurs.

The Great Taste Award Judges said “Undeniably toffee on the nose and a creamy, indulgent fudge on the palate, this liqueur delivers well-judged sweetness with a grounding bitterness that carries it through for a satisfyingly long finish.”

Jago Packer (Hartford 82-86), Owner of Wicstun Distillery, said “he was over the moon to have been awarded 2 stars. We are always pleased to see the reaction on people faces when they try our Toffee Vodka Liqueur.”

Barbara Pace, Distillery Manger, said “Toffee Vodka has been our best seller for the last 18 months, with customers using it in cocktails and even over ice cream.”

For more information on the business visit www.wicstun-dustillery.co.uk

Contact
Jago Packer
07962 057412
[email protected]

Happy 60th to my ‘old’ school mate and work colleague, Phil! 🎉Who’d have believed we’d be raising a glass together for y...
06/08/2026

Happy 60th to my ‘old’ school mate and work colleague, Phil! 🎉

Who’d have believed we’d be raising a glass together for your 60th after the curveball life threw at you nearly four years ago?

Doctors underestimated you… but then they’ve obviously never met a Hull City Tiger! 🐯

Turns out Tigers don’t just have nine lives—they’re too stubborn to use them all at once! 😂

What a fantastic week you’ve had celebrating with friends and colleagues. Here’s to making more memories, sharing more laughs, and proving that the best stories don’t always follow the script.

Cheers to you, Phil. Happy 60th—you’ve earned every minute of this celebration! 🥂🎂❤️
Grice

Zoe Harrison

At the recent AGM the draw for the 300 Club took place.The winning number – 95 is allocated to Charles Allenden - forme...
18/05/2026

At the recent AGM the draw for the 300 Club took place.

The winning number – 95 is allocated to Charles Allenden - former Head of School - who will receive the £100 prize money.
The 300 Club raises funds for the OSA which are targeted to support a local student, new to the Sixth Form whose personal circumstances require some financial support to help them through the IB Years or for items which can benefit students – recent examples include equipment for the music department, hurdles, an electronic scoreboard for Hockey and most recently one for cricket. Membership of the 300 Club costs £10 a quarter – equivalent to 11p a day.
If you are willing to support this worthy cause please contact the OSA on [email protected] for further information.

125 Years ago todayToday - 17 May 2026, Scarborough College marks a remarkable milestone – 125 years since the school fi...
17/05/2026

125 Years ago today
Today - 17 May 2026, Scarborough College marks a remarkable milestone – 125 years since the school first opened its doors to pupils.
The College opened on 17 May 1901 under the leadership of Headmaster Percy Armstrong. Eager to begin welcoming pupils, Armstrong chose not to wait for the completion of the school buildings. Instead, lessons began in his own house, now known as the West Wing, while workmen continued construction elsewhere on site.
That first term, just seven boys formed the entire school community:
RW Stanners
JS Beck
WA Milton
CB Coulson
A Atkinson
AP Cooper
R Harland
As we reflect on the College’s history, we also remember the lives and experiences of those early pupils beyond their school days.

JS Beck, the College’s first boarding pupil, sadly died in Australia in 1909 after being thrown from a horse.

The impact of the First World War was also deeply felt. R Harland was killed in France in 1918 towards the end of the conflict, while AP Cooper lost an arm during the war.

The school officially opened on Wednesday 18th September 1901, having taken three years to build. The photograph (the earliest we can identify) was taken Christmas 1901.

Our thanks go to groundsman Mr Paul Sw***er for researching and sharing this fascinating insight into the College’s earliest days.

Wicstun Distillery Looking To The FutureAfter a very difficult year in 2025, when Wicstun Distillery in Market Weighton ...
27/04/2026

Wicstun Distillery Looking To The Future

After a very difficult year in 2025, when Wicstun Distillery in Market Weighton faced the sudden loss of one of its key directors, Lisa Packer. Lisa passed away unexpectedly, leaving both her family and the business in shock. Lisa was not only a director of the company but also the wife of fellow director and head distiller, Jago Packer (Hartford ’82-’86). Her loss had a profound impact on both the family and the day to day running of the distillery.

As a result, many of the plans and developments scheduled for 2025 were placed on hold while the business took time to grieve, reflect, and regain its footing.

The outlook for 2026 has been far more positive for the company. Jago Packer and the Wicstun team, have spent the past few months putting into action the plans and ideas that he and his wife had set out at the start of 2025.

One of the first steps was to increase storage capacity at the distillery in Market Weighton. The team installed a new storage room and reorganised the distillery to create a more efficient working space. This work also made room for a new still, which was delivered in early April. The new equipment has now doubled Wicstun Distillery’s distilling capacity. The company has also installed two large fermentation tanks, allowing the team to produce raw spirit from scratch.

Alongside these improvements, Wicstun Distillery successfully secured an additional licensing grant from HMRC, which now allows the distillery to expand its production further.

Wicstun Distillery are now preparing to produce their own Yorkshire Rum from scratch. The spirit will be matured in a selection of sherry and bourbon oak casks over the coming months. The additional space and equipment have allowed the team to increase production of some of their most popular products, including their famous Toffee Vodka and Scarborough Gin.

The year has also brought a new look for the brand. The distillery is introducing updated bottle designs based on an idea that Lisa Packer developed in early 2025.

Jago and his team are now looking ahead to an exciting and busy year, with plans to introduce customers to the new bottle designs as well as several new flavours during 2026.

You will find Wicstun Distillery at events across North and East Yorkshire throughout the Summer and of course in the distillery working hard to produce new spirits.
Contact – Jago Packer – 07962 057412 - [email protected]
www.wicstun-distillery.co.uk
Wicstun Distillery is in Market Weighton. It is open to the public for Tours & Tasting

John IslesMembers will be saddened to hear of the passing of former Chairman and President John Isles (Lodge 61-65). We ...
22/04/2026

John Isles

Members will be saddened to hear of the passing of former Chairman and President John Isles (Lodge 61-65).

We were informed this afternoon by his nephew Robert that John went into hospital with a chest infection that he simply could not fight off and died of pneumonia on 31st March.

A week or so earlier the OSA Local Group had been in discussions with John and he had agreed to be the major sponsor of the new electronic cricket scoreboard with the OSA also supporting the venture.

Robert writes that John had a direct cremation on Monday. “His wishes were that we scatter his ashes with his late wife Jean near the cottage they used to live at in Hawkchurch in Axminster. We will do this with the family in the coming weeks.”

“When John passed away, we were at his bedside at Torbay hospital, and I ‘forced’ the nurses to play the test match special theme tune to him! – I’m sure he would have had a little chuckle to himself! I too love cricket, probably in the Isles genes I guess, and have been to your school with John a couple of years ago to watch a game with him. We’ll come again one day and take a look at the new scoreboard in action!”

Funeral Arrangements for Catherine Lucas:Funeral service:- Tuesday 21st April, 12.30pm- Saint John the Baptist Church, C...
10/04/2026

Funeral Arrangements for Catherine Lucas:

Funeral service:
- Tuesday 21st April, 12.30pm
- Saint John the Baptist Church, Cayton

Family Burial:
- Saint Martin's Church Seamer

Wake:
- Ye Olde Forge Valley Pub, Ayton, following the service for refreshments

Flowers and donations:
Family have requested that instead of flowers if you could bring a donation to be collected at the church with a cause still to be decided.

Please feel free to share photos and bring plenty of stories for afterwards as we look to celebrate Catherine’s life. No dress code, comfortable above all else.

If possible please indicate intention to attend funeral and/or wake so that family can prepare appropriate orders of service and refreshments to accommodate all. You can add to the comments area or email [email protected] and it will be passed on to the family.

We add some pictures and memories of Cath written by former colleagues Richard Scott and Anna Mack

Cath LucasWe are deeply saddened to hear that on Saturday 21st March, one of our former College stalwarts, Mrs Catherine...
24/03/2026

Cath Lucas

We are deeply saddened to hear that on Saturday 21st March, one of our former College stalwarts, Mrs Catherine Lucas (née Cowie), passed away.

She was a huge part of Scarborough College, having taught here for nearly 40 years. She leaves behind her Husband - John, Daughter - Emily, Son - Adam and 4 soon to be 5 grandsons.

A full tribute and funeral arrangements will follow in a further post in the coming days.

Address

Scarborough College, Filey Road
Scarborough
YO113BA

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