Some 1,200 pupils, staff and parents attended a special open-air service led by the Archbishop of York to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of Ardingly College.

On a warm, sunny evening, Dr Sentamu was greeted by Head Girl Sophie Seeley and Head Boy Sam Williams before leading a Eucharist to celebrate what he called “150 years of a very great college with a firm Christian foundation.”

His son, Geoffrey, was a pupil at Ardingly from 1990-1998, and the Archbishop praised the school for, “taking pupils who may be just ordinary and turning them into extraordinary young people.  “My son is extraordinary; the school did something wonderful for him,’” he said.

Geoffrey, who has worked at the BBC for several years and now attends film school, reflected on his time at Ardingly College: ”I came from London where there was so little to do and no sport nearby to a place with so much life. There was just so much to do (football, rugby, cricket, basketball, tennis). I realized today that you know you really love a place when you come back and it still feels like home. I would love to send my own kids here one day.”  (He got married 3 weeks ago). “It’s clearly a school moving forward but although it has changed tremendously, it is still distinctly Ardingly.”

In his address Dr Sentamu spoke of the importance of the Christian community and particularly of Ardingly pupils who go out and serve the world. “Christianity must not be static but a changing way of life,” he said.

Archbishop Sentamu doesn’t wear his clerical collar. He took a pair of scissors to it last December, vowing that he would wear it again only once Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe had left office. And in May last year, he wore a hoodie to a church conference to urge people not to judge teenagers by their choice of fashion.

During his visit, the Archbishop met staff and students. Although most are from Sussex and the UK, many are from overseas - some 30 other countries - including Zimbabwe and Uganda, where Dr Sentamu was born.

Head of Prep School Boarding Mr Mannie Marara, who comes from Zimbabwe, said: ‘It was a great pleasure to meet the Archbishop whom I admire very much.”

Headmaster Peter Green said: “It was a real privilege to welcome Dr Sentamu back to Ardingly and to hear his inspiring address. The weather was fine for us and after a wonderful service we were treated to a spectacular fireworks display. It was a fitting way to celebrate such an historic event.“

This year, Ardingly College has been celebrating the anniversary with a series of events and eminent visitors, including the Duke of Kent and the Channel 4 presenter Jon Snow, born at Ardingly where his father was headmaster from 1947-1961.