Abingdonian 2018

41 www.abingdon.org.uk Lent Term Charities Committee 2017-18 has been a busy year for the Charities Committee. With record numbers of boys wishing to take part the group was full of enthusiasm in September for the year ahead. Fundraising in the Michaelmas Term supported two causes, The British Red Cross chosen by Upper Sixth student Patrick Gwillim-Thomas, and SSNAP nominated by Mr Stinton. Patrick was keen to support the work of the British Red Cross particularly their work helping those affected by the Grenfell fire disaster, but also the other projects that they support in the UK from hiring wheelchairs to assistance for those seeking asylum. SSNAP is a charity based at the John Radcliffe Hospital that provides support for sick newborn babies and their parents. The charity raises money to buy equipment for neonatal care, funds research fellowships aiming to improve outcomes in neonatal care and supports families who have children currently in the NICU. Activities in the Michaelmas Term included a home-clothes day, Christmas jumper day (which was unfortunately disrupted by very seasonal snow), a collection at the Christmas Concert and a Christmas quiz. Unfortunately the quiz did not receive as many entries as we would have liked, rumour has it that the questions were just too hard! The Lent Term brought a flurry of charitable activities. A bit of inter-house competition enabled us to donate almost 1000 items to the Abingdon Emergency Foodbank which was a phenomenal effort. James’ House deserves a special mention for the sheer quantity of food they provided. Mrs Ley’s car hasn’t been quite the same since it was involved in transporting all of the food from school to Christ Church Abingdon where the foodbank is organised. We were so pleased with the success of this event that we are planning to run it again in the future. A team of Lower Sixth formers bravely volunteered to take on the organisation of the Middle and Upper School 4-a-side football tournament. Their chosen charity Elephant Family works to protect the Asian elephant through conservation projects and working with governments to change policy. After a bit of last minute panicking the tournament came together with both the Middle and Upper School events running smoothly with a large number of keen participants. This built on the existing success of the annual Lower School tournament which raises funds for the Meningitis Research Foundation. Home-clothes day in the Lent Term supported Mary’s Meals, a charity suggested by Tom Mills in the Lower Sixth. He was keen to spread the message of the charity that aims to help children out of poverty by encouraging school attendance. Their simple way of doing this is to provide a school lunch and at present they serve over 1.3 million lunches every day! This turned out to be our second charity event of the year to be hit by snow! But fortunately a last minute rearrangement meant all was not lost and a significant sum was donated to Mary’s Meals. An accidental delivery of 20kg of fudge from Hancocks wholesalers to the tuckshop provided the committee with an impromptu fundraising opportunity. Despite calls from some committee members to dispose of the fudge (by eating it themselves), Hancocks kindly donated the delivery to be sold for charity. Never has so much sugar been sold so quickly and a tidy sum was donated to OA Carl Olavesen alongside a donation from the Music Society to fund a keyboard for a choir in Mambwe, Zambia. As the summer took hold the committee focused on passing their exams and looking ahead to the sponsored walk next academic year. A final fundraising push was made for Interhouse Athletics where record quantities of ice lollies and chilled drinks were consumed helping the tuck shop make a small profit this year. This is just a selection of the charitable activities taking place at Abingdon over the year. Many small student led groups have embarked on sponsored walks, rides and runs; held cake stalls, silences and challenged themselves to help others. The Charities Committee wishes to thank all students, staff and parents for their support over the last year. Kate Ley