On Friday 13th of December, Bancroft’s School’s last day of term, the pupils and staff enjoyed a day full of Christmas cheer, a sense of community and overall fun, but most importantly the day ended with a fundraiser event supporting both Haven House and Wings of Hope Children Charity.
Haven House have supported over 900 families, looking after children and young people aged from birth to 19 years old who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions whilst Wings of Hope Children Charity have made a difference to children in the UK, India and Malawi by offering educational opportunities and the ability to learn transferable skills to less fortunate children. These were the two charities Bancroft’s had chosen to support with Haven House being a local charity and with some students of the school already participating in the Wings of Hope social-enterprise programme known as WOHAA; this consists of the students running fundraising projects for the Charity which helps children in India and Malawi to gain a free education.
The fundraiser event included performances ranging from comedy acts and dancing to solo singers and bands, showcasing utter talent of both students, from ages 11 to 17, and numerous teachers. Everyone was encouraged to wear a Christmas accessory in exchange for a donation and collection buckets also gave people the opportunity to donate as much as they liked. The WOHAA team raised even more money by previously running bake sales and even setting up a festive ‘secret Santa’ with students being able to send Chocolate Santa’s two whoever they wished at a price of £2. Chris Weber, a member of the WOHAA team stated that the event ‘served as the perfect culmination to a term of hard work, perseverance and satisfaction through our fundraising efforts for Wings of Hope.’ He continued to say, ‘It certainly got us all in the Christmas spirit and despite the exact amount raised currently being unknown, I know we undeniably raised a significant amount for these two great charities. My team and I, as well as the rest of the school, are proud to have been able to help’.
Bancroft’s school can confirm that they are incredibly proud not only of the money raised, but also of the talent that the school possesses and the brave students who proved to be willing to show their talent to the entire school on stage. The school managed to increase the awareness of these charities whilst also provoking the idea that more of these events should happen, since it only seems right that students privileged with outstanding educational opportunities should be happy to put in the effort to help others have this opportunity too. Students and teachers are both keen to take part in more of these charity events, full of fun, kindness and complete positivity.
Sarika Patel
