Sister Dorothy Bell

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Sister Dorothy became Head of Digby Stuart College in 1969, where she abolished some of the strict rules implemented by her predecessors. During her time, she reformed Digby Stuart from exclusively Catholic to being open to other denominations and encouraged interactions with them – leading, in the long term, to the chaplaincy team we still have today. As Head she attended the meeting where Margaret Thatcher, then Secretary of State, announced fundamental budget cuts and college closures for colleges under 2000 students. She was present at the negotiations and eventually signed the Statement of Association, which led to the combination of the four colleges of Digby Stuart, Whitelands, Southlands and Froebel. She continued her work and commitment to the college until her passing.