Event Background

The Ian Kay Luncheon is now the SVS Foundation's longest running event, with it now being in its 30th year. Back in 1995, Michael Soloman (1945 W) and Michael Hovey (1946 W) arranged to meet a few friends who had been with them in Westminster in the 1940s. In 1998, after three successful luncheons, they contacted Ian Kay (1941 M), who has joined the School at the same time as them, and asked if he would join them for that year’s event; a St Margaret’s interloper at the Westminster lunch! Back then, the venue changed year-by-year, with a different Old Suttonian arranging the luncheon at a restaurant of their choice each year. The only prerequisite was that it should be held on the first Tuesday in March. Whilst Ian had been the first from St Margaret’s, he was quickly followed by others as the event grew to a broader guest list of leavers from across the 1940s, incorporating both boarders and day pupils.

In time, it was suggested that it would be a good idea if the annual luncheon was arranged by the same person. As Ian had been the OSA’s Dinner Secretary for some 35 years and knew London well, he was asked to take on the job, and gladly agreed to it. In 2006, he decided to settle in one venue and opted to meet at the Carvery restaurant within the Strand Palace Hotel. This proved a success and the event was held there until 2018.

Unfortunately, the closure of the Carvery restaurant necessitated a move elsewhere. Thankfully, Air Commodore Richard Peacock-Edwards CBE, AFC (1957 F), the former Vice Chairman of the Royal Air Force Club, sprung into action and arranged for the 2019 iteration of the event to be held at the RAF Club. Over time, the number of 1940s leavers dwindled (for obvious reasons) and, as a result, the decision was taken in 2018 to invite Old Suttonians who had left the School in the 1950s in the hope of adding more ‘young blood’. Ian was delighted when in 2020, over 30 leavers from the 1940s and 1950s attended the last of the pre-pandemic lunches. Sadly, with the following year’s luncheon unable to take place, the 2020 event was the last that Ian was able to attend before he died in August 2021.

In recognition of his dedicated service to the Old Suttonians and the School, and in particular his stewardship of this event, we took the decision in 2023 to rename it the 'Ian Kay Luncheon'. It was always Ian’s wish that this event continues to flourish and we therefore decided to expand the invitation list to include any leavers who departed the School between 1940 and 1965. This year, we have gone one step further and expanded the invitation list further to incldue all leaveres between 1940 and 1970.

Event Information

We are delighted to announce that this year's Ian Kay Luncheon will be held on Tuesday 3rd March 2026 (12.30pm) at the Royal Air Force Club in Piccadilly. Ticket booking will open on Monday 5th January 2026. The event will cost £55.00 per head for a three-course meal. If you have any dietary requirements, please can you email the Development Office when you make your booking. Please note that in order to book tickets, you will need an existing online account on SVS Foundation Connect. To register on the site, please click here.

In the event that you are booking more than one ticket, the booking system is set up so that the first ticket will always be allocated to you - as such, please ensure that you provide the names and details of your guest(s), when prompted to do so (rather than providing your own details again). Please also ensure that you do not use your own email address for any of your guests - the booking system requires guest email addresses to be unique. If you have any difficulties booking, please email the Development Office.