Alice Fleur Le Quesne (S: 1986-1992) - Celebration of Life 

Alice sadly passed away in December 2021, a true Sidcotian whose motto in life was to 'just be kind'. Below we share her Celebration of Life written by fellow Sidcotian and class mate Dan Lloyd (S: 1987-1992). 

When Alice arrived at Sidcot School she was very shy, but very soon found her compass. Nestled in the heart of the Mendips, Sidcot is steeped in Friendship and Peace. Alice found that Peace, Simplicity, Truth, Equality and Justice - the Quaker Testimonies - became her true North. These were values that really shaped her as she progressed through School, University and her career. These same values led her to have a simplicity and logic that really shaped her character and her choice of friends around her.

Alice used the qualities of respect, integrity and sustainability to help her forge meaningful and lasting relationships with the people she learned from, worked with and photographed. Alice would always see the "Good in Everyone" and always gave what she could to help in every way possible. No matter what a person's background or past deeds were she would always find the positive, especially where others around her would not feel so comfortable.

Alice's Celebration of Life: delivered on 17 January 2022

Alice had a wonderful sense of humour and would often recall our school days and remember the wonderful teachers, the friends and the fun and jokes that we had all been part of. Alice was often the target for many jokes; she recalled the teasing of being a “Skoda driver” in the 1980's which she looked back on as happy memories. She would often respond with her own self-discovered responses adding
to the laughter around her. 

Alice enhanced her love of photography when she discovered that she could use her skills as part of her GCSE Art work, which gave her great joy. And she went on to do Art, English and Drama at A-levels. One particular Art trip to London's Tate and Tate Modern, I recall Alice and a friend pleading with the teachers and bus driver to stop under one of the bridges on the embankment to distribute surplus pack lunch provisions to the homeless who had congregated there for the night. Alice would regularly recall her love of swimming especially in the old Sidcot Swimming Pool with its corrugated iron roof and its very own weather patterns. At Easter reunions she would always make a point of swimming in the new school pool which very frustratingly opened the year that we all left Sidcot.

Alice left the School in 1992 having been awarded the “Citizenship award” which she was very flattered and shocked to receive. Alice set up a Photography Award that has been awarded annually for the last 30 years and she was very proud to support. She was really looking forward to personally awarding it to the winner in the coming summer for the first time. Another quirky thing that Alice liked was having older friends around her, especially those from Sidcot. She often teased us that it made her feel less of a geriatric! She reminded me of this recently as we were talking about our up-and-coming school reunion this Easter.

Alice had a particular way with the world, she would very often see it in her own very unique way and her friendship touched and changed everyone she met for the better. As a student in Swansea Alice befriended a “Gentleman Tramp” who went by the name of "Tea Cosy Pete". Alice would find time to talk with “Tea Cosy Pete” and would arrange to leave food for him. A couple of years after university Alice and Amanda were driving through Swansea, when the shout of "Alice, Alice" could be heard through the car window. In the hustle and bustle of a City, 'Tea Cosy Pete' had seen Alice and recognised her through the window and was calling out. “Alice, Alice!” - "ooh it is Pete, Pete the tramp." Amanda recalls Alice's excitement at being remembered. One good deed leads to another and Alice was the instigator of many a good deed. Over these last years while being in regular contact with Alice, I recall another lovely tale that Alice delighted in
telling. During the early part of this Pandemic when we had the flour and bread shortages, Alice was out walking getting her regular permitted exercise and fresh air around her community in Plymouth, when she spotted a basket of homemade bread on someone’s window sill. When she enquired about it, she was thrilled and enthralled to diiscover it was a gift to anyone who needed it, and that it could be taken freely. Alice revelled in telling me this story knowing and sharing that there was such generosity and kindness in the community where she lived and in the world, and that we just need to look for it. I have learned a lot from Alice but one very important message from her that will always stick is "In a world where you can be anything you like, the important thing is to - just - be - kind.”

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Alice led a rich and colourful life and was truly an inspirational character to those whose lives she touched along the way. Her kind nature even hit the headlines when she, Rachel Land and their fellow class mates set about fundraising and collecting donations for a trip to support orphans in Romania. 

Above are two press articles from just before and just after Alice & Rachel's trip to Romania. Alice also kept a diary from the trip which can be read on the link below.  

Alice Fleur Le Quesne - Romanian Diary. 

On her return from Romania, Alice completed her A Levels and then recieved an 'unconditional offer' to study photography at Swansea University. During her time as a student and after uni Alice made two further trips out to Romania in support of the charity. Alice enjoyed her time in Swansea and relished living near the coast. After uni she pursued her career in photography and went on to gain a teaching qualification to teach photography to adults and students, with a focus on supporting students with special needs and dyslexia. Alongside her teaching career, Alice took on freelance documentary and portrait photography projects within the theatre industry. In particular, she worked with the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, where she met and photographed many stage professionals. including Jo Brand, Sue Pollard and many more. We have attached a Gallery of some of her work to this article. Below we also share a magazine extract from In Attendance (a trade publication for the UK fire brigade), who commissioned Alice to cover a trip out to war-torn Bosnia to help them re-build their fire service after the war. UK fire officers went out with donated appliances and to help with training of new recruits. During the expedition Alice provided all the photography for the publication.  

In Attendance - Rebuilding Bosnia's Fire Brigade 

Alice Eulogy By Dan & Michael