The Five Penny race is a deeply ingrained tradition at Woodford County High School, synonymous with their striped blue shirts and picturesque grounds. Students frantically lay down their 5 pennies in lines that many have been collecting for an entire year, in order to raise money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

The aim is simple. The school house that lays down the most coins during the lunch hour wins. Competition is often tight, with only half a line separating the winners from the losers last year. Tensions are high and the air is practically vibrating with energy as students race across the school grounds, eagerly laying down their coins and collecting them back up after the line is complete. Heads of houses cheer their girls on and do their part in coordinating to ensure a speedy process. The event is a serious matter to any Woodford girl, as house competition is fierce and house loyalties are strong. For example, Arighni Ghosh in year 12 said “I am going to flatten the competition with 5ps.”

As it is relatively early on in the academic year, it is certainly an excellent way for students new to the school (both in year 7 and in the sixth form) to meet their housemates and be exposed straight away to Woodford County’s passion for charity. Later on in the year, house charity week comes along- when each house dedicates their time fundraising for a cause of their choice.

The school house Repton (named after Humphry Repton, the renowned English landscaper who designed the school grounds) was incredibly determined to gain back their winning streak. They had won the 5 Penny race for 16 years consecutively, before losing out to Highams house. It appeared that Repton’s sweat and toil running around in the early October sunshine would pay off, but in the final 7 minutes Highams caught up and were soon in the lead. Luck was not on the Reptonians’ side, as Highams was victorious yet again.  Sugani Suganthan, a year 12 pupil in Repton, said that “although we did not win, it was still fun taking part and working together as a house.”

As well as being great fun for the students competing, the event fully embraces the school’s ethos of giving and charity. Amounts up to nearly £3000 have been raised in the past, in just 45 minutes and made up entirely of 5ps. It is a perfect example of how we should never underestimate donating what we can in small change, in order to make a big difference collectively.