Founder's Day or Bun Day

The annual event is held in the quadrangle of the Almshouses to mark the life of the town’s most famous Rector and is attended by around 1,200 pupils as well as guests, residents Governors and townsfolk. After the service the children receive a sticky fruit bun and so, not surprisingly, the event has become affectionately known as “Bun Day".

In the past at Whitsun, all the residents of the Almshouses and the school children were provided with a dinner by the charity to commemorate Founder's Day. The children's meal was stopped during Victorian times when the numbers considerably increased, and a bun was given to each child instead. The tradition of Bun Day continues to the present day, when the pupils from all the charity schools meet at the Almshouses for a short service on the grass in front of the buildings and take away a currant bun. The old residents enjoyed their Founder's Day dinner until the second world war, when severe rationing caused it to be discontinued. The tradition was revived in 2000 and once again the residents can celebrate the vision of Nicholas Chamberlaine.

The 2015 event received very good coverage in the Coventry Telegraph.

The weather was kind for the participants of the 2019 event. Take a look at our Founder's Day 2019 article for the details.