Abingdonian 2017

56 The Abingdonian Charity The Abingdon School Charities Committee has had a very successful year raising tens of thousands of pounds for several good causes. On 30 of September, all of the staff and students turned out in the beautiful weather to support our charities for the term (MIA, Helen-Douglas House and Abingdon Bridge) by walking over 13 miles from Benson (or Little Wittenham for the Lower School) back to School. Whether the half marathon was walked, run, rowed, canoed or done in fancy dress, everyone taking part brought in plenty of sponsorship. We raised a grand total of £28,781, an impressive feat of which all of the staff and students are proud. On 15 December, Abingdon staff performed in An Abingdon Cinderella . Directed and written by Archie Williams and his team, the play brought tears of laughter to both boys and staff throughout the show. The perfect satire also helped cement the position of our new headmaster; he donned a crown and even busted a few moves. The whole affair was a complete success, raising £1,095 for the Alzheimer’s Society. On 16 March a group of students generously gave up their evening to spend it sleeping rough. This was an event designed to help the students empathise with the homeless as well as raise awareness for the often overlooked issue of homelessness in Oxford. It was an incredibly eye opening experience. Overall, we raised around £1,000 for Oxford Homeless Pathways as well as raising awareness of this issue. These are just a few of the events the Charities Committee were involved in over the last year. From football tournaments to a sponging in the stocks, every student at Abingdon played a vital part in raising thousands of pounds for a wide variety of charities. Here is further information about our charities for the year: Medic Assist International is a charity aiming to ensure access to healthcare for people most in need as well as transforming communities suffering oppression or discrimination. They work with local partners on their projects to ensure sustainability and long term effectiveness. Smith-Magenis is a small UK registered charity that supports families along with children of all ages suffering from Smith Magenis Syndrome (causing mild to moderate intellectual disability, delayed speech and language skills, distinctive facial features, sleep disturbances, and behavioural problems). Medicines Sans Frontières is an independent fast response charity helping those most in need around the world. They help millions of people every year through fundraising and increasing awareness of crises across the globe. Headway is a UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury. Through its network of more than 125 groups and branches across the UK, it provides support, services and information to brain injury survivors, their families and carers, as well as to professionals in the health and legal fields. Children are always an important focus of our charitable effort here at Abingdon. Chidobe Primary School is a school for disadvantaged kids in rural Africa. Here at Abingdon, it is easy to see school as a burden, but imagine if you had no school, and there was never going to be a school for miles around. The programmes we support are the only chance that youngsters have to break out of the poverty cycle. If you don’t get educated in Zimbabwe, you really have very few options. Another thing often taken for granted in the UK, certainly by myself, is