It has been an exceptionally busy term for our Charities Committee, who have raised both funds and awareness for many worthy causes and, in the process, learnt how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
The Grange Academy Clothing Appeal
An initiative that has touched the hearts of many of us is The Grange Academy Clothing Appeal, an idea borne out of the need to empower pupils at a local special needs school rather than teach them to rely on gifts or donations, and show that charity is not always about giving money, but about meeting the needs of others in a way that is meaningful to them.
The Grange Academy is for pupils aged 7-16 with moderate learning difficulties, complex needs, autism and accompanying sensory and medical needs, with many of the pupils coming from families who face multiple disadvantages. The pupils at the school came up with the idea of using reward points to exchange for clothes or shoes in a pupil-led school reward shop.
Our charity boys jumped on the idea and quickly rallied around to encourage our parents and boys to donate preloved clothes to be used in the scheme. They were overwhelmed by the way the Bedford School Community supported the appeal, which also ticked boxes as part of their sustainable rewards programme.
Two carloads of clothes were donated and delivered to the school, much to the delight of Grange Academy Headteacher Rachel Timms who, two weeks into the scheme, explained, “This has been transformative in terms of the children’s well-being and personal presentation. One pupil commented, ‘I only have one hoody and it has holes but now I have a new one which is really good.’ Some of our pupils have all they need, but others cannot afford to replace items which are old or too small, so continue to wear them. They are sensitive about this and knowing they can access more than the free uniform we provide is significant. It will help them when socialising beyond school to not feel different or embarrassed by their clothing.
Our pupils all have special educational needs and are often conscious of being different to others; this can have a detrimental impact on their mental health. If this is exacerbated by financial difficulties, such as not being able to afford essential clothing, they experience further embarrassment and distress. Thanks to the scheme, our pupils can now trade reward points for the items of clothing donated; not having to rely on handouts but being able to feel they have earnt items makes them feel a sense of empowerment. The delight shown when they can select an item of their choice is indescribable.”
The pupils themselves have expressed their thanks too:
“I have never seen so many clothes! It’s cool and everyone can get something they need.”
“I can get trainers now; I only had one pair of shoes before.”
“In school I can choose clothes I want. It helps me. I like to have new things and feel good.”
Fundraising for Cancer Research
A charity close to many of our hearts, having affected all of us in some way, is Cancer Research. Given the devastating impact cancer has on not just the people who have the disease, but also their family and loved ones, our Chinese Society collaborated with members of the Chapel Choir and staff to produce a singing video to encourage everyone to donate towards Cancer Research UK.
The short film below shows boys of different nationalities singing songs in languages that they are unfamiliar with. The songs were difficult for the boys to learn, but we hope you think they have done a good job! You can watch the film here and show your appreciation by donating here.
Turkey/Syria Earthquake Appeal
Boys put their culinary skills to good use when they baked, faked and bought a wonderful array of delicious cakes and bakes to sell at break time, raising over £600 in the process. Meanwhile, Ashburnham House fundraised with a staff raffle, and, together with money raised on non-uniform day, means we have donated in total over £2,000 to this cause.
Movember
We were honoured to be nominated by Movember HQ in the category of ‘Services to the Mo’, an award for showing ultimate dedication to Movember. The awards were held in London and, despite losing out to Philip Bloom, a true lifetime achiever, we are proud winners of the Schools Challenge for 2022 and were incredibly proud to be recognised at such a fantastic awards evening amongst so many truly inspiring people. It was also an opportunity to network with other businesses, schools and companies, and we have come away with lots of ambitious ideas for Movember 2023 – watch this space!
In addition, the Movember boys were nominated for ‘Fundraising Team of the Year’ at the local Bedford Independent Everyday Heroes Awards, recognising fundraisers who have gone above and beyond to raise money for their chosen causes. We were up against some strong competition but were victorious, sharing the title with Caring for Humanity. While it is of course nice to be recognised for all our efforts and hard work, it was another opportunity to raise awareness for the charity and the excellent work it does. We also have a handful of boys who are considering the Movember student ambassador programme, which would offer training beyond school and means boys can carry on this important work at their universities in the future.