The Headmaster of Britain's most dog friendly school - Shiplake College - was overwhelmed this week by the unveiling of a surprise portrait of him with his Golden Retriever, Simba.

The portrait of Mr Tyrone Howe and Simba was a personal gift from TriQuant Investments Ltd. Local dog portrait artist Clive Hemsley was commissioned to paint the portrait of Mr Howe and Simba. Clive will also be painting the dog portraits of three lucky winners of the College’s Virtual Dog (and Non-Dog) Show. Entries are now closed for the show and judges are busy shortlisting the 200 plus entries which came in.

These amazing prizes have also been made possible by the kind sponsorship of David Watson from TriQuant Investments Ltd based in Henley. Mr Watson is also a current parent and his son Ben was present at the surprise unveiling of the portrait.

Clive, otherwise known as The Dog Portrait Artist, has painted hundreds of portraits of man’s best friend, alongside a career as a Creative Art Director in Advertising. He is based in Henley and is well known for his breathtaking life-like representations of much loved family canine companions on canvas.

With more than 30 dogs living on site at Shiplake College, they are integral to the daily lives of the 480 pupils who attend the school, and they love them!

Led by Head Dog Simba, and Deputy Head Dog Ernie, they form a huge part of the pastoral team at the school, helping with the wellbeing of pupils and sometimes being a welcome distraction to a busy and stressful day.

Mr Howe, said: “I am truly surprised and overwhelmed by this fabulous gift. The likeness of Simba has blown me away and I am lost for words.

“We are a very dog friendly school and they are a huge part of the Shiplake Family. When we had to cancel our annual Dog Show, which was part of FieldFest in September, we thought why not move the competition online?

“We have had more than 200 entries which is really fantastic, but we now have the difficult job of judging them, as the quality of entries are really high.

“We are now preparing a shortlist for each category and will ask staff, pupils, parents and everyone in the Shiplake community to vote on their favourites, which will all stand the chance of winning one of Clive’s amazing portraits.”

David Watson of TriQuant Investments, said:”When we decided to locate our hedge fund business in Henley-on-Thames it was for two reasons.

“Firstly, because Henley is such a great place to do business, and secondly, because my son attends Shiplake College, which saves me nearly two hours a day on the school run!

“On my first visit to the college I was struck by the amount of dogs around the place and the friendly atmosphere that surrounded them with both staff and pupils. It was a pleasure to team up with Clive to present the Headmaster with this portrait and I hope it has provided a bit of morale boost in difficult times. Good luck with the show!"

Clive Hemsley said: “I am so thrilled to be associated with Shiplake College who clearly have their priorities right - education and a close relationship with dogs - what a superb combination and great privilege for any pupil.”

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