The 145 heritage sculpture will conclude the School's 145th anniversary celebrations and will be revealed to the John Lyon community on the celebration of Values Day at School on the 11th May 2022. The bench represents the broader collaboration of Old Lyonians and John Lyon School. We are very fortunate to have Alumni who are engaged and generous with their time and resources to help support the growth of the School.

Led by the Art department, Year 7 and 8 pupils worked with Umut Yamac (OL 1998) to brainstorm an idea, in sculpture form, that could represent the 145 years of the school’s history. Milo H (8BG) came up with the brilliant idea to create something that looked like a stack of books. From this inspiration came the final product the John Lyon '145 heritage sculpture'. Designed collaboratively between John Lyon pupils and architect & designer Umut Yamac this represents the combination of the current values and historical philanthropic beginning of the School.

The 145 heritage sculpture is a wonderful and unique opportunity for the school community to come together and be a part of the philanthropic foundation started by John Lyon 145 years ago. Each year we will add a segment to the bench to continue this legacy and are welcoming the community to contribute to support the future and maintenance of the bench and be a part of this legacy. All donors will be acknowledged in the Mall beside the bench.

Gifts of £200 / £500 / £1,000 will be acknowledged by the installation of the sculpture

This Art project, like many projects before, has been fully supported by the 1876 Fund, which was established to celebrate our history and enhance the educational experience beyond the curriculum for the benefit of our pupils. The 1876 Fund combines regular donations from parents, Old Lyonians, staff and governors, local residents and friends of the school all of which have played a necessary part in enabling the school to complete various projects over the years. 

Donating to support the John Lyon makes it possible for the School to support exciting opportunities beyond the standard curriculum and departmental budgets. These projects enrich learning experiences with an immediate and direct impact to pupils that will stay with them for a lifetime. It continues the philanthropic vision of our founder by directly supporting a broad educational experience.