Congratulations to alumna Camilla Bowry OBE

Congratulations to alumna Camilla Bowry OBE

Croydon High alumna Camilla (CJ) Bowry was awarded an OBE for services to young people, education, and the environment in the King’s New Year’s Honours list. CJ is the founder of the charity Sal’s Shoes, which redistributes footwear to children in poverty worldwide; in the last decade, they have found new feet for over five million pairs of shoes in 61 countries worldwide, including increasingly here in the UK.

The charity, named after her son, began in 2013 after CJ collected a bag of her son’s outgrown but not outworn shoes. Reluctant to throw them away but unable to find a suitable charity to take them, she sent them to a friend overseas who delivered them to a children’s oncology ward.

At the end of each summer term, as a school community, we support this worthy cause by donating shoes of all sizes. The Senior Reception area bursts with many bags and boxes of donations.

Feet in shoes are protected feet; feet protected from injury and infection.

CJ was a GDST Alumna of the Year finalist in 2021 and often refers to the friendships and the learning experiences that she feels have shaped her, saying, “No other 7-year period has gone on to have had such a positive impact on my life than my time at Croydon High.”

CJ is very much a part of our school community and we are incredibly proud of her!

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager