OP Profiles

Mary Wheildon

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I was a St Mary's Priory pupil from 1956 to 1961, still living in Kineton, Warwickshire.

I left St Mary's to go to Winkfield, Cordon Bleu school before cooking at The Charlecote Pheasant for five years, followed by two years in Virginia Beach & West Palm Beach, Florida as Assistant Manager & Maitre d’Hotel. I returned to Kineton to open a Garden and Flower shop which was a great success for 30 years before I sold the business and retired.

Retiring is a mirage – I have been busy ever since assisting friends in many different and most interesting ways. Helping a fellow Interflora florist in Guernsey at critical times, taking those skills to Europe and USA when required, helping out at Auctions & continuing for a while with the Master Classes I started within the shop.

I have loved travelling since the age of seven, all continents have been visited in one way or another, since retiring I have been able to travel for longer periods meeting up with Old St Mary’s Priory pupils in far-flung locations – what a joy!

Although now heavily involved with Warwickshire Women’s Bowls Association, I became its President in 2019 but with COVID had to be 'cut & pasted' for the 2020-2021 season; an enormous honour but certainly not a walk in the park!; I am however, still playing plenty of tennis which I so enjoyed at Princethorpe, sometimes with one of my classmates – we laugh together and congratulate ourselves, some 60 years on - she too, is now playing bowls!

I am so pleased to be in contact with many of the St Mary’s Priory pupils and am therefore very happy to see the integration of these VSOPs into the successful Old Princethorpian family.